UK-based Altilium has completed large-scale EV battery cell manufacturing trials using recycled cathode materials. The test results show near-identical performance to conventional materials, supporting industrial-scale circularity and the creation of a domestic battery supply chain.
Altilium, a UK clean technology company, says the pilot, carried out at the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) in Coventry, demonstrated that lithium-ion cells made with Altilium’s EcoCathode NMC 811-2036 CAM perform comparably to those using conventional mined materials, marking a key milestone in industrial battery circularity.
The trials involved Altilium using cathode active material (CAM) recovered from end-of-life electric vehicle batteries at the company’s Devon facility. The company’s proprietary EcoCathode process reportedly achieves recovery rates above 95% for critical raw materials such as lithium, nickel and cobalt, and was shown to produce cathode materials with high purity, consistency, and manufacturability.
Furthermore, the company states that electrochemical performance metrics from initial tests showed less than one per cent variation compared to benchmark commercial material. Parameters assessed included energy density, impedance, first cycle loss and early-stage cycling behaviour—factors essential to cost efficiency and long-term battery performance.
The manufacturability of the recycled CAM was also validated across standard battery manufacturing stages, including slurry mixing, electrode coating, drying and cell assembly. Process testing confirmed that the EcoCathode material integrates into existing production lines without requiring significant adjustments, an important factor for industrial adoption.
“These results mark a pivotal moment for battery circularity in the UK,” said Dr Christian Marston, Altilium’s co-founder and COO. “For the first time, we’ve demonstrated that battery grade EV cells can be manufactured at scale using recycled materials – with no compromise on quality or manufacturability.”
UKBIC’s Chief Technology Officer, Richard LeCain, added: “This groundbreaking project marks the beginning of a journey that could reduce the UK’s dependence on imported materials and open up a new market for recycled batteries.”
The cells will now undergo validation with a leading automotive OEM. This comes as new EU Battery Regulations mandate minimum thresholds for recycled content in EV batteries. Altilium is scaling up its operations with its recently opened ACT 2 facility in Plymouth, the UK’s first commercial EV battery recycling site, and the upcoming ACT 3 plant, which will recover battery minerals from up to 24,000 vehicles annually.
altilium.tech
