Japanese automaker Nissan and battery producer and recycler Ecobat have entered a "strategic pilot agreement" through which they are to investigate how to recover, repair and repurpose used electric vehicle (EV) batteries from salvage operators for second life applications in the UK. The companies noted in their announcement of the agreement this week, that the end-of-first-use batteries, from vehicles such as Nissan's Leaf passenger cars, would first need to be located within the UK salvage network before they could be recovered, repaired, recycled or repurposed.
"We are working together with Ecobat to assess how we engage with salvage operators, manage transportation, test, repair and reuse electric vehicle batteries in order to understand the commercial value chain, said Alan Low, EV battery circular economy manager at Nissan Energy Services.
Once located, the batteries are to be assessed and transported to Ecobat’s Darlaston facility, near Birmingham. Further checks based on Nissan's expertise and processes would be used to evaluate the long-term safety and performance potential of the batteries and to allow Nissan to identify suitable second life applications. Power balancing, power back up and mobile power charging systems are all possible areas of reuse. The automotive company could potentially offer those second life products to market with an official manufacturer warranty, according to the joint statement.
Ecobat has two Li-Ion recycling facilities in the UK at present and it plans to open a third there later this year. The company's diagnostic and disassembly centre in the Midlands has processed over 6,000 batteries and performance graded more than 14,000 modules since it opened in 2021, said Ecobat. The company's other European LIB recycling activities are located in Hettstedt, Germany, where it has collection, discharge, diagnostics, dismantling and crushing/sorting operations. It is developing a first recycling plant in North America, as well.
Nissan's "Leaf" cars were among the first modern electric vehicles sold for the mass market and were launched in the UK in 2011, the partners explained. "Nissan has the longest history with electric vehicles in the UK and is keen to establish a lead in the processing of used EV batteries – an industry that is expected to grow dramatically in the coming years," the project partners said.
