BMW, Northvolt, Umicore plan sustainable battery production in Europe

A new alliance that aims to start building a sustainable value chain for battery cells in Europe has been formed by battery maker Northvolt AB, carmaker BMW (ETR:BMW) and materials technology and recycling group Umicore (EBR:UMI).

The trio said Monday the goal of their pan-European technology consortium is the sustainable production of battery cells for electrified vehicles in a closed life cycle loop. The plan includes the development of a recyclable cell design, renewables-powered manufacturing and the reuse of raw materials after the cell has reached the end of its life. The partners will target a long period of primary use of the battery in vehicles followed, possibly, by secondary use as stationary energy storage.

“The project is seeking to press ahead with the sustainable industrialisation of battery cells in Europe and the associated acquisition of skills, from cell chemistry and development through to production and ultimately recycling,” the consortium said.

BMW Group, which is already investing significant resources in the value chain, is opening next summer a battery cell centre of excellence. It has been partnering for some time now with Northvolt, the company behind a project for a 32-GWh-per-year battery cell factory in Sweden, as part of a strategic technology project. The collaboration will leverage Northvolt Labs, a scale-up line and research facility which will be used to test and industrialise battery cells before large-scale production. Northvolt's manufacturing capacity, on the other hand, brings "the final element needed for purely European production of complete batteries for electric mobility applications in future," the partners say.

As part of the technology consortium, Umicore will be in charge of active anode and cathode materials development and recycling. It has recently announced plans to start building a cathode material manufacturing facility in Europe and it already has a lithium-ion batteries recycling plant.

“By jointly demonstrating a closed loop for high performance, green and EU-based batteries, we are underlining the future potential and importance of a European supply chain for the success of car electrification in the region,” said Umicore chief executive Marc Grynberg.

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!