Febelauto collected 150 tons of used HEV batteries in 2023

Last year, Febelauto, the management body for waste vehicles and industrial batteries, collected almost 150 tons of high-voltage batteries from electric and hybrid cars—or 10% more than in 2022. That number will continue to rise because the number of electrified vehicles brought to market will increase exponentially.

All European vehicle manufacturers are legally obligated to recycle high-voltage batteries from electric vehicles. The batteries are collected, tested, discharged, and dismantled before being recycled at a Recupbat site in Antwerp.

A goods warehouse in the port of Antwerp has been transformed into the first large storage and processing company for discarded rechargeable batteries from electric vehicles. Antwerp Mobility Alderman Koen Kennis (N-VA) officially inaugurated the site on Thursday morning. Each year, 300 tons of rechargeable batteries—the batteries of about 600 vehicles—can be processed. Waste HEV batteries contain highly sought-after raw materials like cobalt, nickel, and lithium.

Electricity

Batteries that arrive at Recupbat are first quarantined in special containers for 72 hours. Then, they are dismantled, tested, and completely unloaded to be safely transported and processed.

When batteries arrive at the collection center, they are first discharged. “An estimated 65 megawatt hours of electricity can be generated from the 300 tons of batteries. That is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of eighteen families,” explains Febelauto director Catherine Lenaerts.

Energy source

After a test, half of the rechargeable batteries appear suitable for a second life as an energy source for electrical appliances. The other half, no longer eligible for reuse, is labeled and taken to recycling companies in Belgium, like Umicore, and some neighboring countries.

Febelauto recently presented a digital tool for managing waste batteries from electrified cars at the International Congress for Battery Recycling in Basel. The ELV platform, as the tool is called, is innovative, user-friendly, and interactive.

ELV

It is specifically designed to monitor the recycling of waste electric vehicle batteries. The ELV system offers a streamlined approach and ensures transparency and compliance with the latest European battery regulations.

A new European regulation, enacted in February this year, requires battery manufacturers to develop batteries that contain 16 percent recycled cobalt and 6 percent recycled lithium and nickel by 2031. The rules will become even stricter in 2036.