£8.1M awarded to a battery recycling project led by Mint Innovation to recover lithium, nickel, and cobalt from EV batteries in the UK.
Smart charging pilot launched by JLR and ev.energy aims to reduce EV charging costs and grid emissions, following a strategic investment by JLR’s venture arm.
£2.5B DRIVE35 programme underpins UK’s commitment to EV innovation and infrastructure through 2035.
A Jaguar Land Rover-supported battery recycling project has secured £8.1 million in funding, including £4.05 million from the UK government, to recover critical minerals from end-of-life electric vehicle batteries. Spearheaded by cleantech startup Mint Innovation, the initiative will operate for three years in the West Midlands, focusing on the extraction of lithium, nickel, and cobalt.
The project is backed by Jaguar Land Rover (a Tata Motors unit), LiBatt Recycling, and the Warwick Manufacturing Group at the University of Warwick. It forms part of the UK Department for Business and Trade’s newly launched £2.5 billion DRIVE35 programme, which aims to accelerate the country’s transition to electric mobility.
“Our advanced processes aim to not only deliver high-quality materials … but also help to reduce our reliance on virgin materials,” said Beth Johnston, Assistant Professor at the University of Warwick.
The DRIVE35 programme will provide £2 billion in support through 2030, with a further £500 million earmarked for R&D through 2035. The initiative aligns with Britain’s plan to end the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035—a transition facing headwinds globally due to high EV costs and declining demand.
The recycling project coincides with a broader electrification push by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), including a new pilot collaboration with smart charging software platform ev.energy. The pilot integrates ev.energy’s technology with JLR’s connected vehicle platform, enabling 10 Jaguar I‑PACE vehicles to charge during off‑peak, renewable-friendly hours.
“Together, we are designing and deploying a smart charging solution that will meet our luxury clients’ expectations,” said Swarna Ramanathan, JLR Chief Strategy Officer. “It will support the transition to electrification through the efficient use of energy, with a view to reducing pressure on the grid and lowering costs for users.”
Following successful testing in the UK, the smart charging solution will be rolled out to clients across the US and EU. The platform has already delivered measurable benefits: in the UK, ev.energy helped drivers save an average of £166 while avoiding 489 tonnes of CO2e emissions in the year ending May 2025. In California, the system doubled overnight charging rates and shifted 45% of daytime charging to off-peak solar-powered hours.
“Our work with ev.energy is testament to the power of corporate-scale-up collaboration in unlocking fresh ideas to solve some of our industry’s biggest challenges,” Ramanathan added.
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Nick Woolley, CEO & Co-Founder of ev.energy, echoed the sentiment:
“Working with JLR in the UK will help us further understand how our Virtual Power Plant can support a grid with mostly low-carbon supply and growing demand from electric vehicles.”
The smart charging pilot follows JLR’s strategic investment in ev.energy through its corporate venture arm, InMotion Ventures, as part of a broader Innovation Strategy. This strategy has already produced tangible results, such as portable battery storage systems co-developed with Allye Energy using second-life plug-in hybrid EV batteries, and next-gen in-vehicle connectivity projects with Cesium Astro.
Despite its progress, JLR has faced recent challenges. In June, the automaker revised its fiscal 2026 margin forecast amid slowing global auto demand, shortly after pausing plans for a $1 billion EV facility in India. Additionally, the UK softened its EV manufacturing targets in April, aiming to ease regulatory pressure on automakers facing rising trade and production hurdles.
Together, these public-private efforts aim to position the UK as a global leader in sustainable EV innovation, battery recovery, and intelligent charging infrastructure.
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