Battery Recycling: BMW teams up to build high-tech facility
One of Germany's best-known vehicle manufacturers is teaming up to tackle electric battery waste.
The BMW Group and Encory GmbH, a circular economy joint venture co-founded by the OEM in 2016, have opened a battery recycling facility in Salching, Germany, intended to recover raw materials from battery cell production and return them directly to the manufacturing cycle.
The Cell Recycling Competence Centre will process residual material and complete battery cells from production. The process involves mechanical dismantling so that materials can be reused without chemical or high-temperature treatment. The companies describe the method as “innovative direct recycling.”
The facility will be expanded in stages. At full capacity, it is expected to recycle material in the mid double-digit tonne range annually, or approximately 50 to 90 metric tonnes per year (roughly 55 to 100 short tons). Recovered materials will be reused in pilot cell production at BMW’s Cell Manufacturing Competence Centre in Parsdorf.
In a press release, Markus Fallböhmer, senior vice-president of battery production at BMW AG, stated: “Our direct recycling process puts us at the forefront of the industry. This technology has tremendous potential to further optimize battery cell production.”
The recycling centre operates in an existing building with approximately 2,100 square metres (about 22,600 square feet) of production and warehouse space, in addition to office areas. Rooftop photovoltaic systems have been installed to support energy requirements.
Encory, a joint venture between BMW Group and Interzero Group, will construct and operate the facility. BMW retains ownership of the intellectual property associated with the direct recycling process. The site is expected to employ approximately 20 people.
