Clean-energy technology specialist Altilium has started work on a lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Devon.
The firm said the Plymouth plant would be capable of processing power hubs from 24,000 electric vehicles per year.
Altilium last year secured more than £600,000 from government agency Innovate UK to boost its mission to produce lithium-ion cells from cathode active materials. At the start of this year Japanese investor Marubeni Corporation pledged $5m (£4.1m) to the cause.
The company said its ACT 3 scale-up plant would “place the UK at the forefront of sustainable battery materials production”.
The facility will recover lithium, nickel and graphite from electric vehicles.
It will produce nickel mixed hydroxide precipitate and lithium sulphate, critical materials for domestic production of battery cathodes.
Christian Marston, chief operating officer at Altilium, said: “Our ACT 3 site marks the next phase in Altilium’s mission to close the loop on battery materials here in Britain.
“We are proud to be building this scale-up facility here in Plymouth, which will be a cornerstone of the UK’s EV battery supply chain.”
