Material supply limitations and mineral price volatility are of increasing concern . In line with the End of Life Vehicle Directive , 95 percent of a vehicle by weight must be re-used , recycled or recovered . Although this Directive is
“
not designed for electric vehicles , this is clearly the direction of travel and so revised requirements for electric vehicles appear inevitable . Achieving similar levels of sustainability for electric vehicles will require increased investment in reuse , recycling and recovery of LIBs .
Battery recycling poses many technical challenges , including different cell chemistries , and varying levels of cell degradation . One strategy for addressing some of these technical challenges is to build-in ‘ recyclability ’ at the point of manufacture , to facilitate recycling and recovery at end-of-life .
Soaring interest in battery recycling is borne out by a significant increase in the number of patent publications ( see in Figure 1 ) related to reclaiming serviceable parts of accumulators ( CPC H01M10 / 54 ), rising from below 200 in 2012 to nearly 2000 in 2021 . Mining companies such as Sumimoto Metal Mining and JX Nippon Mining & Metals are the top filers , highlighting the importance of LIB recycling to materials suppliers . However , specialized companies such as Aqua Metals and Guangdong Brunp Recycling Technology ( owned by CATL ) are also well-represented .
Given increasing vertical integration of automotive OEMs and growing interest in built-in ‘ recyclability ’, one might expect
95 percent of a vehicle by weight must be re-used , recycled or recovered .
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Although this Directive is not designed for electric vehicles
Dustin Bauer www . reddie . co . uk
Intellectual property
automotive OEMs
and battery manufacturers to increasingly appear on patent publications in this field .
Final thoughts
Manufacturing methods and machines are at the heart of enhanced battery cell and pack performance , increased manufacturing efficiency , and improved recyclability . With growing demand for battery manufacturing equipment , and limited supply , the impetus for OEMs and battery makers to manufacture their own manufacturing equipment will only increase . Given the combination of increasing demand and new competition , the value of intellectual property in this field will continue to grow . ■
For a list of the sources used in this article , please contact the editor .
Dustin Bauer is an Associate at Reddie & Grose LLP , an internationally renowned firm of European and United Kingdom patent , trade mark and design attorneys .
Its experienced team of nearly 80 IP professionals based in London , Cambridge , Munich and The Hague includes specialists in a wide range of technical disciplines . They handle the full range of IP rights for a global client base ranging from SMEs starting to consider IP through to large corporations with rights in over 100 countries .
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