EV battery recycling to enhance sustainability?

Japan-based Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) will build a test facility for recovering materials from used electric vehicle (EV) batteries at its Kawasaki Plant, in partnership with Singapore-based True 2 Materials (T2M). Starting in 2025, the companies will use the pilot plant to evaluate the reusability of anode, cathode, and electrolyte materials by battery cell makers.

The number of used EV batteries is expected to increase as demand for EVs expands amid global trends towards decarbonisation. Used EV batteries can be reused for other purposes – either as they are, or via recycling to procure raw materials and components for other products. Through the joint testing with T2M, MFTBC will consider a business venture that recycles used batteries – taken from EV trucks (such as its electric light-duty eCanter) and EV passenger cars – into compounds that can be directly used as high-quality blended materials in battery cells.

MFTBC will first consider commercialisation in Japan before investigating the possibility of overseas expansion in the future. While batteries account for a significant part of an EV’s cost, MFTBC intends to maximise the value and usage of battery materials by developing effective retreatment processes. This will not only reduce the total cost of EVs, but also the carbon footprint of both the manufacturer and its customers.