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Altilium Welcomes Leader Of Plymouth City Council To Pioneering New EV Battery Facility

Altilium, a UK-based clean technology group focused on supporting the transition to net zero, is pleased to announce the visit of Councillor Tudor Evans OBE, Leader of Plymouth City Council, to its new state-of-the-art EV battery recycling plant in Plymouth today, as the company embarks on the next phase of its ambitious growth plans.

 

Altilium Welcomes Leader Of Plymouth City Council To Pioneering New EV Battery Facility p
Altilium PCC visit

The cutting-edge facility, the first of its kind in the UK, is poised to play a crucial role in the city’s commitment to sustainability, creating new green jobs and attracting international investment to the region.

The 18,000 square foot facility will use Altilium’s proprietary EcoCathode™ technology to recycle old lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles (EVs), helping to reduce waste and recover the critical metals needed to power new EV batteries being built in the UK.

With growing demand for EVs, governments and businesses across the world are racing to secure supplies of critical minerals, including lithium and nickel. Developing a secure domestic supply chain for these materials, by recycling end-of-life EV batteries and Gigafactory waste, not only reduces our reliance on imported minerals but also results in lower carbon emissions, making EVs even greener.

Altilium’s new plant will have the capacity to recycle over 200,000 kg of batteries per year, enabling production of high volumes of cathode active materials (CAM), a key component in the manufacturing of EV batteries. These valuable materials will then be used for the production of new EV batteries in the UK and qualification by leading car manufacturers.

During the visit, Councillor Evans toured the plant and met with Altilium’s leadership team, including co-founder and COO, Dr Christian Marston, to discuss the company’s vision for a sustainable future and its alignment with Plymouth’s goals for economic growth and tackling climate change. Plymouth City Council has pledged to make the city carbon neutral by 2030, exceeding the UK’s objective of net zero by 2050.

Councillor Evans commented: 

“This really hits all the right notes. A company that is expanding and creating jobs in Plymouth, that is at the cutting edge of finding ways to recycle EV batteries and helping to address issues that changing to new greener forms of transport create. It is great to see a company that’s really on board with our goals of working towards becoming carbon neutral and doing our bit to tackle climate change.”

Councillor Tom Briars-Delve, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, who also visited the site, added: 

“We have committed to cutting our emissions as a city, and with cars, vans and HGVs responsible for almost a third of our carbon footprint, travel patterns are an area where we are keen to encourage change. A shift to lower emission vehicles such as electric cars is part of that picture and with it comes the challenge of what to do with the batteries. It’s exciting to see this sector develop here in Plymouth.”

Dr Christian Marston commented: 

“We are honoured to welcome Councillor Evans to our new Act 2 facility and grateful for the continued support of Plymouth City Council and their commitment to sustainability. As a Devon-based clean technology group, we’re proud to be part of the South West’s emerging battery ecosystem and committed to investing in the region’s green economy. 

Our new facility not only represents an investment in advanced recycling technology but also in the local community.”

With lithium mining taking place in Cornwall and the UK’s largest gigafactory being built in Somerset, the South West is set to play a critical role in the UK’s drive to become a clean energy superpower.

Founded in 2020, Altilium is one of the fastest growing clean technology companies in the region, employing over 45 staff across its three locations in Plymouth and Tavistock. Earlier this year the company completed its series A funding round with a £9.3 million investment from SQM Lithium Ventures, the corporate venture arm of the lithium business of Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (SQM), one of the world’s leading producers of battery-grade lithium.

Altilium’s EcoCathode™ recycling process has been independently validated by the University of Plymouth and proven in a scaled-up pilot operation, recovering over 95% of cathode metals from waste EV batteries, in a format that can be directly reused in battery manufacturing. Recovering these critical metals for reuse in new batteries can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 74% and cut costs by 20%, compared to mined raw materials.

Over the next decade, over 100 million EV batteries are expected to reach end of life globally. By creating a domestic capacity for battery recycling, Altilium is offering an environmentally friendly solution for battery disposal and ensuring that these valuable resources remain in the UK supply chain.

The company is now working with leading car manufacturers, including JLR and Nissan, to develop a circular economy for battery materials in the UK and to demonstrate the successful production and qualification of new batteries using recycled materials.

Located in Plymouth’s Estover Industrial Estate, the new recycling plant is expected to begin operations by the end of the year. As well as generating new high skilled jobs, Altilium is actively engaging with schools across Plymouth, offering work experience to students, and collaborating with colleges and universities, including the University of Plymouth and City College Plymouth, to foster STEM opportunities for early stage careers. By creating pathways for students interested in internships, ‘year in placement’ and careers in the emerging field of battery recycling, Altilium is committed to closing the skills gap in the industry and creating opportunities for local talent.

About Altilium

Altilium is a UK-based clean tech group that will reshape the UK and European automotive supply chain by offering high volume, low carbon domestic sources of cathode and anode materials from recycling waste streams already in circulation, such as end-of-life batteries.

The company’s proprietary EcoCathode™ process converts end-of-life EV batteries and manufacturing scrap into domestic, sustainable, battery precursors, cathode active materials (CAM) and cathode precursor (pCAM) for direct reuse in new batteries.

Altilium’s first mini-commercial plant is currently under construction in Plymouth, while its planned Teesside plant will be one of the largest EV battery recycling facilities in Europe. The plant will have the capacity to process scrap from over 150,000 EVs per year, producing 30,000 MT of CAM, enough to meet around 20% of the UK’s expected needs by 2030. Altilium’s growth has been supported by a number of UK government innovation awards, including grants from the Faraday Institutions Battery Challenge and the Automotive Transformation Fund. The company recently completed its Series A funding round with a multi-million-pound investment from SQM Lithium Ventures, the corporate venture arm of the lithium business of Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (SQM), one of the world’s leading producers of battery-grade lithium.

For more information, go to www.altilium.tech

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Owain Griffiths

Owain Griffiths

Head of Circular Economy at Volvo Cars

Owain joined Volvo Cars in June 2021 to lead Circular Economy in the Global Sustainability Team. The company has committed to being a circular business by 2040 and has financial, recycled content and CO2 based targets for 2025, all of which Owain is working across the company to make happen. Owain previously worked for circular economy consultancy Oakdene Hollins where he advised businesses on evidence led circular economy implementation. 

Turning into a circular business and the importance of vehicle reuse and recycling.

The presentation will cover the work Volvo Cars is doing to achieve 2025 but mainly focus on the transformational work towards 2040 and the business and value chain changes being considered. Attention will be paid to the way vehicles are being dealt with at the end of life and the complexities of closing material and component loops. Opportunities and challenges which Volvo Cars is facing will be presented including engagement with 3rd parties and increasing pressure from stakeholders.

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e2e Total Loss Vehicle Management [e2e] is the UK’s only salvage and automotive recycling network with nationwide, environmentally compliant sites delivering performance resilience and service reliability to the insurance and fleet markets.  The network’s online salvage auction www.salvagemarket.co.uk drives strong salvage resale values and faster sales.  e2e’s salvage clients have access to the network’s stocks of over 5 million quality graded, warranty assured reclaimed parts. 

The power of the network model means e2e has the ability to influence industry standards and is committed to continually raising the bar whilst redefining the role and perceived value of the salvage operator.  Network members adhere to robust service level agreements, against which they are audited, in order to ensure performance consistency and a market leading customer experience.  

The salvage and recycling operating environment is evolving rapidly, and e2e is anticipating, listening and responding to changing market needs.  Regulatory compliance, ESG, reclaimed parts, customer experience, EVs, new vehicle technologies, data and reputation risk are just some of many considerations linked to the procurement of salvage services.  e2e will drive further added value to clients and members through the adoption and application of emerging technologies, continuing to differentiate its proposition and position salvage services as a professional partnership. 

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