BMW Group scores circular economy win with high-voltage batteries – AutoMart Canada

Munich. With electric mobility continuing to gather
pace, recycling high-voltage batteries is increasingly under the
spotlight. After successfully launching a closed-loop recycling system
for the reuse of raw materials from high-voltage batteries thanks to
the BMW Brilliance Automotive Joint Venture (BBA) in China in 2022,
the BMW Group has now hit another milestone on its journey. On 1
November 2024, it launched a pan-European partnership with SK tes, a
leading provider of innovative technology lifecycle solutions. The
special recycling process recovers cobalt, nickel and lithium from
used batteries before returning them to the value chain to make new
batteries. This closed-loop system is set to expand to the
US-Mexico-Canada region as early as 2026.

Its long-term partnership with SK tes sees the BMW Group
directly involved in the practical recycling processes, allowing it to
feed back valuable insights to the development departments. Moving
forward, high-voltage batteries from BMW Group development, production
and markets in Europe that are no longer fit for use are to be
delivered to SK tes in what is the first step towards an effective and
sustainable circular economy for batteries. SK tes then converts the
old batteries into high-quality metals that can be reintroduced to
battery production. The latter process sees the batteries mechanically
shredded, during which the metals are concentrated to leave a material
called black mass. The valuable materials, namely nickel, lithium and
cobalt, are then recovered in a highly effective chemical process
called hydrometallurgy. Among other things, these secondary raw
materials will be used for the new GEN 6 drive train.

“Partnerships like this increase our efficiency in terms of
the circular economy. In the closed-loop process, all partners
mutually benefit from their experiences,” says Jörg Lederbauer,
Vice President Circular Economy, Spare Parts Supply High Voltage
Battery and Electric Powertrain at BMW AG. 

The battery recycling process of SK tes has won numerous
sustainability and innovation awards worldwide – from the Business
Intelligence Group’s Sustainability Service of the Year to the UN
Global Compact’s Apex Award.

Circular economy at the BMW Group

“The promotion of circular economy is an
important strategic topic for the BMW Group. The development of
recyclable products, the increase of secondary materials in our
components, and the closing of loops play an equally important
role,” says Nadine Philipp, Vice President Sustainability
Supplier Network at BMW AG. “And by the means of circular economy
we are also increasing our resilience in the supply chains.”

The BMW Group follows the principles of Re:Think, Re:Duce,
Re:Use, and Re:Cycle in the sense of a conservation of resources when
it comes to circular economy. From vehicle design and production to
recycling and reuse: everything is geared towards ensuring BMW
vehicles become a raw materials source for new cars once they reach
the end of their useful life. One such example is the BMW Group’s
Recycling and Dismantling Centre. Over a period of 30 years now, the
centre has developed processes and put them into practice, making key
progress in parts and materials recycling.