Volkswagen Group UK is partnering with battery recycling specialist Ecobat on a recycling initiative for its used EVs.

Ecobat will collect EV batteries to recycle lithium-ion battery materials at its new UK centre

Ecobat will collect EV batteries to recycle lithium-ion battery materials at its new UK centre. Batteries will be picked up from dealers, distributors and end-of-life recycling centres using Ecobat’s ADR-compliant vehicles.

The deal builds on the firms’ existing battery recycling contract that dates back to 2014.

Sylvain Charbonnier, director of One Aftersales for Volkswagen Group UK, said: “I’m pleased to be extending and expanding our relationship with Ecobat. As we move to decarbonise road transport, the number of electric vehicles in our car parc is rapidly increasing, and we need to ensure sustainability throughout the lifecycle. Working with our trusted partners, we are confident we can reassure our dealers and customers that we are responsibly moving towards our electrification goals.”

Elliott Ethridge, vice president of global sales for Ecobat, commented: “Lithium-ion is a fast-growing technology, and our recycling operations can handle everything from small-format batteries to EV batteries. We also recover scrap, byproducts, end-of-life, and damaged products to help make lithium-ion battery production more sustainable. Our expertise in recycling and recovering scarce battery materials will benefit both Volkswagen Group and the environment.”

Volkswagen Group UK currently offers around 15 electric vehicles in the UK and accounted for more than one in five fully electric car registrations in the UK in 2023. It’s planning to have around 50 fully electric models in the market by 2030.