Logistics specialist kicks off EU-wide battery centres

Ceva Logistics has unveiled a new service dedicated to the transport, storage and processing of end-of-life electric vehicle (EV) batteries.

Backed by a multi-million-euro investment, the French logistics specialist says it will develop a network of specialised centres across 10 European countries by 2027. The first facilities will be operational in France, the UK and Spain by the end of this year. Additional sites will follow in Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.

Three pillars

Around eight million lithium-ion batteries are expected to reach end-of-life in Europe over the next five years so the challenge of recycling and reusing vehicle batteries is becoming increasingly urgent. The new service is built on three pillars:

• collection and transport – Ceva will retrieve used batteries from dealerships, resellers and ELV facilities across Europe
• extended services – the logistics centres will provide battery diagnostics, dismantling, regeneration and reconditioning to maximise value recovery
• traceability – each battery will be tracked in real time, ensuring transparency and compliance with strict regulatory requirements

Pilot site

The centres, located within Ceva’s finished vehicle logistics hubs, will feature secure storage units, temperature-controlled containers, and workshops for diagnostics and dismantling. A pilot site launched in 2022 at Ghislenghien in Belgium continues to validate the concept.
Ceo Mathieu Friedberg says: ‘The automotive industry is undergoing major changes with the rise of electric vehicles. Given the challenges of recycling and reusing batteries, it seemed essential to us, drawing on our logistics expertise, to propose robust and virtuous solutions to support the automotive sector in strengthening the circular economy.’