Triple A partnership tackles end-of-life batteries

UK-based recycling major Axion has joined forces with two other partners in an initiative aimed at reusing and recycling the growing volume of batteries used in electric vehicles and light automotive applications.

The partnership with Aspire Engineering Ltd, a company focusing on remanufacturing and reuse, and Aceleron, a lithium-ion battery reuse specialist, will focus on the growing market of electric vehicle battery systems at the end of life. It will also address the large number of cells from end-of-life portable electronic equipment.

100 000 batteries

According to Axion, in the UK alone there could be more than 100 000 end-of-life batteries from electric vehicles that will need recycling or re-using over the next decade.

Together the three companies offer a full service for end-of-life lithium-ion batteries that will address what they describe as ‘the previously complex, expensive and energy-intensive issues associated with recycling these types of materials’.

Batteries will be processed for remanufacturing, reuse and recycling by Aspire, tested and repurposed for second-life applications by Aceleron; and recycled by Axion. The service is aimed at cell suppliers, battery pack manufacturers as well as manufacturers of electric vehicles and power storage units.

Processed at Axion

A joint facility based at Axion’s recycling sites in Manchester will be receiving batteries collected from customers. They will be assessed for their reuse potential using Aceleron’s innovative testing methods, and Aspire’s engineering and process operating model for disassembly and rebuild. Batteries that have usable life remaining will be remanufactured or reused in a variety of applications by Aspire or Aceleron, with the remainder being recycled through Axion.

‘Combining the skills of all three companies opens up a more cost-effective end-of-life route by recovering batteries that still have a useful life and extracts more value that can be passed onto clients,’ says Axion’s head of engineering & research Sam Haig.