C2I 2023 Automotive Winner: Universal Battery Recycling System                                                 

Category: Automotive
Headline Sponsor:  Ejot
Project: Universal Battery Recycling System
Partners: Recyclus Group, University of Birmingham

Increased electrification is one of the key tenets upon which a net zero future must be built. But the transition to electric power from fossil fuels inevitably means a surge in reliance on batteries, particularly when it comes to transport.

Since 2010, the lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery market has grown from 20 GWh to pass more than 1 TWh for the first time in 2023. By 2030, the market is expected to reach 4.7 TWh. Global lithium demand is forecast to reach 1.5 million tonnes by 2026. And while the Li-ion market soars, a major wave of EV battery waste is set to hit, with first generation EVs reaching end-of-life. Establishing methods to deal with these waste streams has therefore become a necessity, for both the automotive sector and beyond.

This year’s C2I winner in the automotive category presents a novel solution to the growing problem of Li-ion waste. Developed by the Recyclus Group in partnership with the University of Birmingham’s Advanced Materials & Processing Laboratory (AMPLab), the Universal Battery Recycling System (UBRS) is a mobile, truck-based platform capable of shredding and recovering materials from any type of Li-ion battery.