Italian truck and bus maker Iveco Group has partnered with German chemicals group BASF for the recycling of lithium-ion batteries of its electric vehicles.
The agreement is part of Iveco's circular economy strategy, aiming to increase batteries' lifetime and reduce their overall environmental impact, the two companies said in a statement.
It also complies with the Extended Producer Responsibility policy approach, which extends the manufacturers' responsibility to the entire life cycle of the products they introduce on the market, including management of the post-consumer stage and end-of-life.
BASF has recently inaugurated a hub for battery material production and battery recycling in Schwarzheide, Germany.
Based on the deal with Iveco, BASF will arrange the whole recycling process for the lithium-ion batteries used by the Italian group on its BEV vans, buses and trucks, including their collection, packaging, transport and recycling in a number of European countries.
BASF will mechanically process the batteries’ “black mass” to extract and reuse raw materials such as nickel, cobalt and lithium. It will then supply recycled metals to Europe's local battery industry.
For more on the chemical industry’s role in battery development and recycling, check out the Barry On Batteries columns.