Volkswagen Group U.K. expands recycling partnership

Volkswagen Group U.K. is extending its long standing partnership with recycling firm Ecobat to recycle lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles.

Volkswagen Group U.K. has been working with Ecobat to collect and recycle batteries since 2014, starting off with the collection lead acid batteries. Under this latest agreement, Ecobat will collect electric vehicle batteries from dealers, distributors, and end-of-life recycling centres to recycle lithium-ion battery materials. These batteries will be processed at Ecobat's new U.K. lithium-ion recycling centre. Ecobat currently operates three of these lithium-ion recycling facilities, with its other two operating in Germany and Arizona, U.S.A respectively.

Speaking on the renewed partnership, Director of One Aftersales for Volkswagen Group U.K., Sylvain Charbonnier, said, "I'm pleased to be extending and expanding our relationship with Ecobat. As we move to decarbonise road transport, the number of electric vehicles in our car park is rapidly increasing, and we need to ensure sustainability throughout the lifecycle. Working with our trusted partners, we are confident we can reassure our dealers and customers that we are responsibly moving towards our electrification goals."

The agreement with Ecobat is just one of the things that Volkswagen has done to boost sustainability. Volkswagen AG is the first major automotive company which is committed to the Paris Agreement which is an international treaty on climate change. It has also implemented a group wide decarbonisation programme all while staying committed to e-mobility.