Mercedes opens electric car battery recycling plant

Mercedes-Benz inaugurated Monday a plant for recycling electrical car batteries in Germany, with the posh carmaker’s boss hailing a “key milestone” in boosting the sector’s sustainability.

The plant, within the southwestern city of Kuppenheim, can have an annual capability to recycle 2,500 tonnes of fabric which can feed into producing some 50,000 batteries for the group’s electrical fashions.

The manufacturing facility “marks a key milestone towards enhancing raw-materials sustainability”, mentioned Mercedes CEO Ola Kallenius.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who attended the plant opening, mentioned recycling was “key” when it got here to EV batteries.

“The circular economy is a growth engine and, at the same time, an essential building block for achieving our climate targets,” he mentioned.

With the clock ticking on an EU deadline to section out the sale of fossil fuel-burning automobiles by 2035, there’s a rising give attention to producing and recycling electrical automobile batteries within the bloc.

In addition to lowering waste from EVs, recycling is seen as vital to spice up European sovereignty within the batteries sector, as supplies equivalent to cobalt, nickel and lithium primarily come from outdoors the area.

Mercedes has invested tens of hundreds of thousands of euros within the new plantand says it will likely be in a position to recycle greater than 96 p.c of battery supplies.

The plant covers all steps within the course of, from shredding battery modules to drying and processing supplies, in keeping with the carmaker.

The crucial metals are extracted individually through a chemical process and might be used to make new battery cells.

The method on the plant makes use of much less power and creates much less waste than at different vegetation in Europe, in keeping with Mercedes.

The opening of the manufacturing facility is a few uncommon excellent news for Europe’s EV battery sector, which has suffered as electrical car gross sales hunch on the continent.

Swedish battery maker Northvolt, a cornerstone in Europe’s efforts to meet up with China in producing EV cells, introduced final month it will reduce 1 / 4 of its employees in Sweden, because it struggles with strained funds and slowing demand.

Mercedes, like different German auto makers, has suffered in latest occasions and final month reduce its outlook resulting from weak gross sales in the important thing Chinese language market.

© 2024 AFP