Stellantis and Orano to recycle EV batteries

The two companies want to form a joint venture to recycle used EV batteries and scrap "from gigafactories in Enlarged Europe and North America." Stellantis hopes to gain access to additional materials needed for new batteries, such as cobalt, nickel, and lithium.

Stellantis and Orano now signed a memorandum of understanding to that extend. The materials will be extracted from lithium-ion batteries using technology developed by Orano. The so-called black mass will then be refined in Orano’s hydrometallurgical plant that the company is building in France, and used for new batteries.

“Thanks to its innovative pre-treatment approach and cutting-edge hydrometallurgy technology, the recovery rates of metals can reach exceptional levels of more than 90 per cent,” Stellantis writes in its press release. “It enables OEMs to reach European Commission levels of recycling rate into batteries of electric vehicles and ensure the sustainability of the business model.”

“We are proud to bring our expertise and know-how with our innovative and disruptive process which allows a real closed loop,” says Orano Group Director of Innovation, R&D and Nuclear Medicine, Magnets and Batteries, Guillaume Dureau. “Orano continues its commitment to developing a low-carbon economy with the recycling of strategic materials for the energy transition and the circular economy.”

“The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals has confirmed the need to find solutions like this one with Orano to meet the challenge of natural resource scarcity and sustainability,” adds Stellantis Senior Vice President, Circular Economy Business Unit, Alison Jones. “Guided by our Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, Stellantis is committed to shifting its production and consumption model by fulfilling its circular economy commitment.”

As part of its strategic plan Dare Forward 2030, Stellantis is looking to increase recycling revenues by ten times. That translates to 2 billion euros in revenues from its circular economy business by 2030. Moreover, the carmaker wants all its brands to only sell electric passenger cars in Europe from 2030. In the US, the BEV share in the sales mix of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles (including pickups) is 50 per cent.

stellantis.com