European initiatives target sustainable electric vehicle battery production

New European projects and partnerships are focusing on creating a more sustainable and circular ecosystem for electric vehicle (EV) batteries to reduce reliance on external raw materials.

The HOLiBAT project, coordinated by CIDETEC Energy Storage, is an eight-million-euro initiative involving 15 organizations across nine countries. Over four years, the project aims to develop more efficient and competitive batteries by researching materials that reduce the need for cobalt and nickel. It also focuses on sustainable manufacturing processes, such as using water instead of conventional solvents and developing dry manufacturing methods to lower energy consumption and waste.

In a separate effort to promote a circular economy, Solvay and Veolia have formed a consortium to manage the lifecycle of lithium-ion batteries. This partnership aims to optimize the recovery, extraction, and purification of critical metals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel from used batteries. By transforming these materials into high-purity raw materials, the consortium seeks to ensure that valuable resources are reused in the production of new batteries as the number of EVs on the road is projected to grow significantly by 2030.