Iveco chooses BASF as recycling partner for commercial vehicle batteries

In future, the Iveco Group will have the discarded batteries from its electric vehicles recycled by BASF. The Italian manufacturer builds electric vans, buses and lorries and expects significant battery waste in the future.

BASF will organise the entire recycling process for the lithium-ion batteries used in the Iveco Group’s electric vans, buses and trucks, according to a company statement. The recently signed agreement between the two parties covers the collection, packaging, transport and recycling of the batteries in various European countries, including France, Germany and the UK.

After collection, BASF will mechanically process the batteries into black mass, from which raw materials such as nickel, cobalt and lithium can be extracted and recovered for the production of new batteries. To this end, the chemical giant opened a battery material production facility and battery recycling plant in Schwarzheide in the summer. According to earlier information, the latter is due to go into operation in the course of the year.

“The partnership with Iveco Group is our first agreement to recycle batteries from electric vans, buses and trucks and an important step for our battery recycling business to expand our activities into the commercial vehicle space,” said Dr Daniel Schönfelder, President of BASF’s Catalysts division and responsible for the company’s battery materials and battery recycling business. “It will allow us to further strengthen our European collection network and make further progress in this developing market.” With its recycling solutions, BASF wants to support the European market in closing the loop and fulfilling the ambitious political requirements of the EU Battery Regulation on the circular economy.

“Life cycle thinking is one of our strategic sustainability priorities,” says Angela Qu, Chief Supply Chain Officer of the Iveco Group. “BASF shares this approach with us, and its broad battery collection network and recycling capabilities in Europe will help us close the loop from end-of-life batteries to new ones.” Together, they will enable a circular economy and reduce the carbon footprint, which is fully in line with the Iveco Group’s commitment to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by 2040.

The Iveco Group says it employs around 35,000 people worldwide and operates more than 20 production plants and 29 research and development centres.

basf.com