BMW Group to open EV battery cell recycling centre

• BMW Group is set to open a ‘Cell Recycling Competence Centre’ (CRCC) for EV battery cells, which is being constructed in the Bavaria region of Germany.
• This facility will carry out a new process developed within BMW, which the manufacturer calls ‘direct recycling’ – using a mechanical process, rather than conventional chemical or thermal processing, this allows both residual materials resulting from EV battery production to be recycled, in addition to the recycling of whole battery cells.
• Construction of the centre is expected to begin in the second half of 2025, and will exist alongside BMW’s other ‘competence centres’ – namely, its battery cell competence centre and cell manufacturing competence centre.

BMW works towards a closed loop for its battery cells

BMW is currently investing €10 million into the CRCC, and upon construction completion, validation of this direct recycling process at the plant will begin. The firm says that further down the line, the site will be able to recycle somewhere in the ‘mid-double digit tonne range’ worth of battery cell material, every year.

The combination of these competence centres will create a closed loop for battery cells for the manufacturer, by preserving the most critical and expensive materials in cell production, such as lithium, cobalt, graphite, manganese, nickel, and copper. Not only will this improve BMW’s sustainability in the EV sector, but should also lead to economic cost savings for the firm, after recouping the initial investment in this process. BMW Group is not the only large OEM to make significant investments in battery recycling in recent months. Last month, Mercedes-Benz announced the opening of its European-based EV battery recycling plant, which is expected to have a battery recovery rate of 96%.

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Markus Fallböhmer, Senior Vice President of Battery Production at BMW, commented:

The new Cell Recycling Competence Centre brings another element to our in-house expertise: From development and pilot production to recycling, we are creating a closed loop for battery cells, taking advantage of the short distances between our Competence Centres in Bavaria.”