The RECOVAS consortium – a pioneering collaboration led by global leader in sustainable materials, EMR – has successfully completed its four-year mission to build up the knowledge, technology and skills needed to develop the UK’s first circular economy for end-of-life electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
Bringing together leading car manufacturers, recyclers, academics, and industry innovators, RECOVAS has delivered a blueprint for how the UK can sustainably manage the growing volume of EV batteries reaching the end of their usable life.
The project’s final event took place on 7 May at EMR’s new state-of-the-art battery recycling facility in Birmingham. This marked the end of a successful project funded by the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) that launched in November 2020.
From inception, RECOVAS set out to tackle the complex challenge of creating a circular economy for EV batteries – maximising their lifecycle through reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling.
Following more than four years of innovation, collaboration and hard work not only has a functioning circular supply chain now been established but a number of other objectives have been met – each of which will contribute to the circularity of the EV battery market at different stages.
Key achievements include:
- EMR – the UK’s biggest recycler of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) – Made a multimillion-pound investment into a cutting-edge EV battery recycling facility in Birmingham, capable of processing 2,000 tonnes of end-of-life EV batteries per year, creating 14 full-time jobs.
- Car makers BMW, Jaguar Land Rover and Bentley Motors have developed guidance for the whole automotive supply chain to ensure the next generation of EVs are designed with re-use, remanufacturing, and recycling in mind.
- Autocraft Drivetrain Solutions has developed a mobile triaging unit, a remanufacturing unit and a battery testing process which can efficiently and safely assess and repair end-of-life EV batteries.
- Connected Energy established a strong business case for utility scale energy storage repurposing second-life electric vehicle batteries.
- WMG at The University of Warwick researched the recovery of lithium and other sought-after metals from black mass, a powder created by the shredding of EV batteries’ power cells during the recycling process, as well as developing expertise in cell level rapid triaging.
- UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) developed Life Cycle Analysis and economic assessments
- Health & Safety Executive (HSE) Science researched the risks posed by the hazardous materials released while shredding EV batteries, in addition to offering support to all project partners on current battery handling operations.
Though the project has officially concluded, the partnerships and culture of collaboration RECOVAS fostered is set to continue – particularly as the supply chain for virgin rare earth metals appears increasingly uncertain.
Alexander Thompson, Innovation Project Manager at EMR, said:
“EMR is extremely proud to have led the RECOVAS consortium – a project which has propelled UK EV battery recycling from concept into reality in just four years.
By focusing on a range of challenges and opportunities associated with this technology, companies in the recycling, automotive and energy sectors have highlighted the huge progress that can be made when we work together. While RECOVAS has ended, its legacy continues in partnerships which will continue to benefit this growing industry in the years and decades ahead.”
Reuben Chorley, Sustainable Industrial Operations Director, JLR said:
“At JLR, we’re committed to shaping a sustainable future for the automotive industry, and our work with the RECOVAS consortium has been an important step forward. Collaboration across the supply chain has enabled us to rethink how electric vehicle batteries are designed, reused, and recycled. The insights gained through RECOVAS will directly influence the way we engineer our next generation vehicles with circularity built in from day one.”
Professor David Greenwood, Director for Industrial Engagement, WMG at The University of Warwick, said:
“RECOVAS has demonstrated the power of academic and industry collaboration in tackling some of the biggest challenges facing the transition to electric vehicles.
Our research into the recovery of critical materials from EV batteries and the safe handling of battery materials has provided vital knowledge to support a truly circular battery economy.
We’re proud to have played a role in shaping technologies and practices that will make EVs more sustainable in years to come.”
Aishwarya Chougule, CAD Engineer at the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC), said:
“Our involvement as part of the RECOVAS project, where we’ve developed environmental and economic models to assess the full lifecycle impact of battery packs, has been an invaluable learning experience for both us and the consortium. These models span every stage, taking a “cradle-to-cradle” approach.
This means not only from raw material extraction to cell and battery pack production but also extends in exploring the triage of recycling, reuse, and repair. Providing manufacturers with data on the environmental impact of their battery production processes and beyond is essential to driving a more circular and sustainable approach to battery development and industrialisation within the UK.”
On 1 May, the RECOVAS partnership also won the 2025 Resource and Waste Management Partnership of the Year at the LetsRecycle.com Awards for Excellence.
This award aims to recognise the “power of collective efforts in driving sustainable practices, fostering a circular economy and achieving measurable environmental benefits,” according to the event organisers.
For more information on EMR, visit our website at uk.emrgroup.com, or call on 01925 715400.
