At the beginning of the year, lithium batteries from electric and hybrid vehicles became subject to extended producer responsibility (EPR) obligations in France. Manufacturers can either establish individual take-back and treatment systems or join the collective scheme Recycler Mon Véhicule (RMV), which received approval from the environment ministry last August. The system had already received recognition in 2024 as a producer responsibility organisation (PRO) for end-of-life vehicles.
RMV will organise the collection and treatment of traction batteries from cars and light commercial vehicles on behalf of its members, as well as batteries weighing more than 25 kilogrammes from two- and three-wheeled motorcycles, quad bikes and micro-vehicles. Starter batteries or batteries from light means of transport (LMT) do not fall within the take-back organisation's remit.
RMV’s members represent 85 brands, including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Lotus, Ferrari, Mitsubishi, Subaru, BYD and XPeng. Motorcycle manufacturers such as Yamaha, Kawasaki, Triumph and Ducati are also members. RMV puts it market share at 10 per cent for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles and at 60 per cent for the other vehicle categories. In 2024, its members placed almost 376,000 vehicles on the French market, according to the organisation.
Numerous challenges
RMV began the process of selecting logistics and treatment partners for traction battery recycling in the second half of 2025, having issued two tenders and a call for expressions of interest. According to managing director Vanessa Montagne, the system is facing several challenges at once. In addition to tight deadlines, there is a lack of large-scale recycling capacity for lithium-ion batteries. The first major plants are still in their ramp-up phase, Ms Montagne told EUWID.
"Processing black mass to recover strategic metals such as lithium, cobalt and manganese is a matter of strategic autonomy for France and Europe," she said. However, the necessary facilities either do not yet exist or are still at prototype stage.
End-of-life vehicle (ELV) dismantling companies will also need to expand their skills rapidly, according to Ms Montagne. "They are the first point of contact for electric vehicles at end of life, but many operators are not yet equipped or trained to dismantle batteries safely, or to diagnose them and store them in line with fire-safety standards."
Structures for the second-life battery use also still need to be put in place, Ms Montagne added. "France has to integrate new value chains, but technical standards have not yet been harmonised at the European level."...
