Zenith signs sustainable disposal deal for electric vehicle batteries

Zenith will work with Recell Store to develop a solution for the safe and sustainable disposal of fleet damaged and end-of-life electric vehicle (EV) batteries.

An online marketplace for used EV batteries, Recell Store will manage batteries retired from the leasing and fleet management company’s growing fleet of battery electric vehicles (BEVs).

Currently, BEVs account for almost half (28,417 vehicles) of Zenith’s corporate and consumer funded fleet and 100% of its colleague car fleet.

With around 100 BEV write-offs a year, the partnership aims to addresses the growing issue of how to ensure the safe and ethical disposal of EV batteries.

As part of the initiative, used batteries from Zenith’s fleet will be managed through Recell Store’s digital platform, enabling second-life applications where suitable.

Batteries that can no longer be repurposed will be responsibly recycled at parent company Altilium’s battery recycling facilities in Devon, helping to recover critical materials such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel for reuse in the EV battery supply chain.

Rod Savage, head of operations at Recell Store, said: “We’re excited to be partnering with Zenith to build the foundations of a circular economy for EV batteries in the UK.

“Together, we’re making it easier and safer for fleet owners to handle EV battery disposal responsibly and meet their ESG requirements, while unlocking second-life value and reducing environmental impact.”

As sales of EVs continues to grow, so too will the need for responsible management of end-of-life batteries. According to McKinsey, more than 100 million batteries are expected to be retired in the next decade.

Alan Bastey, decarbonisation and sustainability consultant at Zenith, said: “Finding a safe and ethical way to dispose of batteries addresses a current and growing issue in our sector.

“This partnership ensures we have the foundations in place to enable us to manage the asset responsibly on behalf of our customer, while setting standards within the industry.”

By partnering with OEMs, salvage yards and fleet owners, Recell Store aims to ensure efficient and safe reuse, repurposing and recycling of these batteries.

Furthermore, by recovering the critical materials such as lithium and nickel from battery waste, Altilium offers a sustainable, domestic supply chain for the battery metals essential for the UK’s transition to a clean transport future.

Altilium’s recycling process can recover more than 95% of the cathode metals from EV battery waste in a format that can be directly reused in battery manufacturing, with up to three-quarters (74%) lower GHG emissions compared to mined materials and 20% lower costs.