Altilium and Lunaz Secure UK Government Grant to Decarbonise EV Battery Recycling
Clean technology group Altilium has struck a partnership with one of Europe’s largest upcycling and vehicle electrification businesses, which is also backed by David Beckham.
The team is partnering with Lunaz, a leading innovator in the electric vehicle industry, to embark on a mission to upcycle used diesel trucks to electric, collect old EV batteries and transport them to battery recycling stations with ZERO carbon emissions.
The project, which has received funding from the Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF), is the latest addition to Altilium’s ecosystem of technological services.
Through the collaboration, Lunaz’s team of engineers will utilise their electrification expertise and proprietary technology to develop a prototype upcycled electric HGV, specifically designed to transport end-of-life EV batteries and capable of harvesting and running on electrical energy remaining in the batteries.
Kamran Mahdavi, chief executive of Devon-based Altilium, said: “We’re excited to be driving innovation and shaping the future of sustainable, low carbon battery raw materials with our partners at Lunaz, who are at the cutting edge of upcycling ICE vehicles into EVs.
“Millions of EV batteries will need to be transported by the next decade for recycling or a second life and we are committed to developing low carbon logistical solutions that can cope with these high volumes of waste and support the development of a domestic circular economy for battery metals.”
Altilium plans to open the UK’s largest EV battery recycling plant in Teesside in 2026. The facility will have the capacity to recycle batteries from 150,000 EVs a year, producing 30,000 MT of Cathode Active Materials (CAM) for return and reuse in the EV battery supply-chain.
By expanding its activities into spent battery collection and management, Altilium will be “uniquely positioned” to tackle the high levels of end-of-life battery waste expected in the UK.
David Lorenz, founder and chief executive of Lunaz, added: “Lunaz is proud to have closed the circularity loop with this partnership, further strengthening the company’s position as a fully integrated clean-tech leader.
“By unlocking the power of upcycling, something we are now able to at every stage of our unique process, we can provide even greater value and an ever-lessening carbon footprint.”