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Clean technology group Altilium and luxury car manufacturer JLR have partnered to demonstrate the UK’s first electric vehicle (EV) battery cells produced with recycled cathode active materials. The new cells were showcased at the Cenex Expo 2025, marking a significant milestone in the development of a circular economy for EV batteries within the United Kingdom. This collaborative project validates the potential of using recycled materials for high-performance automotive applications, aiming to create a more sustainable and resilient domestic battery supply chain.
Key Highlights
- Altilium and JLR have successfully produced the UK’s first EV battery cells using Cathode Active Material (CAM) recovered from end-of-life batteries.
- The project, supported by the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC), aims to validate recycled materials for high-performance EV applications.
- An independent Life Cycle Assessment confirms that using 100% recycled CAM can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 32% compared to using new materials.
- The concentration of recovered materials in the cells already meets the minimum recycled content targets set by the EU for 2036.
- Initial testing shows the performance of the recycled cells is comparable to those made with conventional primary materials.
A Milestone in Sustainable Innovation
This initiative is a key part of the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK’s Advanced Route to Market Demonstrator (ARMD 3) program. Its primary goal is to prove that battery cells can be manufactured at scale using recycled content, providing a critical carbon reduction technology for battery electric vehicles (BEVs). By successfully demonstrating this capability, the project supports automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in achieving their sustainability targets while strengthening the foundation for a secure UK-based battery supply chain.
Performance and Environmental Benefits
The demonstration featured newly developed automotive-grade NMC 811 multilayer pouch cells. These were manufactured using CAM recovered from old EV batteries through Altilium’s proprietary EcoCathode™ process. The recycled CAM concentration meets future EU Battery Regulations, with levels of 26% cobalt, 12% lithium, and 15% nickel. Following successful initial electrochemical tests, the cells are now undergoing extensive validation at JLR’s advanced battery testing facilities.
An independent Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) conducted by Minviro confirmed significant environmental advantages. Beyond the 32% reduction in climate change impact, the use of recycled CAM also led to considerable reductions in other key areas:
- Particulate matter formation (30% reduction)
- Freshwater ecotoxicity (58% reduction)
- Metal and mineral resource depletion (38% reduction)
The demonstration also included single-layer pouch cells made with 100% recycled cathode and graphite anode materials, showcasing the potential for full anode and cathode circularity.
Building a UK Circular Economy
This project represents a major step forward in establishing the UK as a leader in battery recycling technology. “This is a major technical breakthrough and a vote of confidence in the UK’s ability to lead in battery recycling,” commented Dr. Christian Marston, COO and Co-founder of Altilium.
Altilium’s EcoCathode™ process is highly efficient, capable of recovering over 95% of cathode metals and over 99% of graphite from battery waste. The recovered metals are then upcycled into high-nickel CAM, ready for direct reuse in new batteries. This advancement helps ensure compliance with upcoming EU regulations, reducing risks for UK vehicle exports and enhancing supply chain resilience.
“This project reinforces JLR’s leadership in sustainable innovation, marking a significant step forward in reducing the environmental impact of the largest contributor to an EV’s carbon footprint – the battery cell,” stated Dr. David Sellick, Product Sustainability Propulsion SME and JLR project lead.
The Cenex Expo showcase also included a virtual reality model of the Jaguar I-PACE battery pack, illustrating how the newly developed cells integrate into a production vehicle.
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