InoBat, the European pioneer of premium electric vehicle battery R&D, engineering, production and recycling, and Gigamine, the technology-focused battery recycling venture, have joined forces to create a state-of-the-art process and supporting infrastructure to deliver cost-effective collection, processing, and re-utilisation of materials from battery manufacturing and used batteries.
InoBat recently announced that, given the visibility of its orderbook, it intends to develop its third gigafactory in Western Europe. Candidate sites include those in the EU and the UK. InoBat has assessed a number of suitable sites and will make its final selection and investment decision in 2022. Recycling and active material reprocessing to minimise waste and maximise circularity is integral in determining InoBat’s choice of site for the gigafactory.
The collaboration between InoBat and Gigamine follows investments made in 2021 from four strategic cornerstone investors and co-developers, Rio Tinto; Ideanomics; Amara Raja; and International Finance Corporation, the private arm of the World Bank. These investors support the development of InoBat’s R&D centre, plant and gigafactory in Slovakia which enable both InoBat and Gigamine’s pilots in recycling and active materials benchmarking.
Dr. Andy Palmer, Chairman of InoBat, commented: “I am delighted with our collaboration with Gigamine. We have a similar ethos and commitment to sustainability and climate change mitigation. The recycling and reuse of materials will minimise the environmental impact of InoBat, our suppliers, and our consumers and is an integral part of our cradle-to-cradle philosophy. Together with Gigamine, we will create optimal recycling and reprocessing value-chains for the manufacturing, supply and ultimate disposal of battery components.
“I am incredibly excited that we now intend to extend our success into recycling and reuse of materials, to complete the circle and achieve net-zero.”
Peter Cowan, Director of Gigamine, commented: “An effective and sustainable EV battery recycling process will be a critical component for the cradle-to-cradle economy. The battery recycling market is emerging rapidly with exciting new technologies that are nevertheless within their infancy.
“By working with InoBat, we can together offer world-leading recycling and waste management processes that will optimise the scope of available solutions. This important partnership represents a significant step in Gigamine’s expansion and will be critical in delivering the circular economy for consumers and industry alike– to ultimately contribute to a net zero future.”
SOURCE: InoBat
