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The BMW Group is set to build a Cell Recycling Competence Centre (CRCC) in Kirchroth, Lower Bavaria. This new center will focus on direct recycling of battery cell materials, effectively closing the loop on battery cell production. By dismantling battery cells into valuable components, BMW aims to reuse these materials in pilot production at its Battery Cell Competence Centres, strengthening the company’s commitment to sustainability.
Key Highlights:
- The CRCC will utilize an innovative direct recycling process that mechanically dismantles battery cells, enabling the reuse of materials.
- BMW is investing 10 million euros in the construction of the new Competence Centre.
- The recycling method will be validated in near-series processes starting from 2025.
- Valuable materials like lithium, cobalt, graphite, manganese, nickel, and copper will be recovered without energy-intensive chemical or thermal processing.
- Encory GmbH, a joint venture of the BMW Group and Interzero Group, will operate the new facility.
Direct Recycling for Valuable Raw Materials
Battery cell materials such as lithium, cobalt, graphite, manganese, nickel, and copper are among the main cost drivers in battery cell production. Efficiently recycling these materials reduces costs while promoting sustainability. Unlike conventional recycling, the direct recycling method feeds materials straight back into the production cycle, bypassing the usual energy-intensive processes. This method, developed by BMW Group experts in Munich and Parsdorf, will be expanded at the CRCC to handle recycling of battery cell materials in the mid-double-digit tonne range annually.
Competence Centres Consolidate Expertise
BMW’s Competence Centres in Munich, Parsdorf, and Kirchroth will streamline efforts in battery cell research, pilot production, and recycling. The Battery Cell Competence Centre (BCCC) in Munich is tasked with developing next-generation battery cells, while the Cell Manufacturing Competence Centre (CMCC) in Parsdorf scales up the most promising cells for series production. The new CRCC in Kirchroth will handle recycling of surplus materials, thus ensuring short transport distances between the facilities and preventing valuable resources from being lost.
Joint Venture and Sustainable Operations
The CRCC will occupy a 2,200 m² facility in the Kirchroth-Nord industrial park, near Straubing. Discharged cell energy will be captured and used to operate the recycling systems, with additional energy supplied by photovoltaic systems on the building’s roof. Although the recycling technology will be fully owned by the BMW Group, the Competence Centre itself will be built and operated by Encory GmbH, a joint venture with Interzero Group. Encory focuses on collection, recycling, and remanufacturing of vehicle components, and around 20 employees will work at the new Competence Center.
Commitment to Circular Economy
The BMW Group sees the circular economy as essential to creating resource-efficient vehicles. By focusing on principles like Re:Think, Re:Duce, Re:Use, and Re:Cycle, the BMW Group aims to retain the value of materials throughout the lifecycle of its vehicles. Innovative recycling methods, including those used for high-voltage batteries, are central to BMW’s strategy of utilizing end-of-life vehicles as a resource for producing new ones, thus reducing the overall environmental footprint.
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