Hydrovolt recycles EV batteries for a circular economy

A major source of EV emissions has traditionally been the lithium-ion batteries used in most EVs, but the footprint can be largely reduced with recycling of these batteries.

“With state-of-the-art recycling, we can help to ensure greener batteries by offering an alternative to traditional mining. Materials from EV batteries can be reused in new manufacturing and production of recycled batteries and other green products,” explains Frydensvang.

Hydrovolt develops EV battery recycling solutions. The company recycles EV batteries at its industrial plant in Norway, while continually innovating to achieve greater circularity.

“By pioneering battery recycling, we deliver solutions for batteries at their end-of-life and enable production of critical raw materials. Our outputs support further electrification and a circular value chain,” says Frydensvang.

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Through recycling, Hydrovolt recovers copper, plastics, aluminium, and “black mass” containing valuable metals such as nickel, manganese, cobalt, graphite and lithium.

“We can do this over and over again, creating the same high quality,” he adds.

Hydrovolt has the capacity to process 12 000 metric tons of batteries – the equivalent of 25 000 cars – a year at its plant in Fredrikstad, Norway. The recovered materials are primarily sold to customers in Europe, which use them to manufacture new batteries and other green products.

The solution has dramatically increased the amount of materials recovered from battery recycling, up to 100 per cent for many of the fractions.

“We aim to recycle all of the materials in an EV battery pack, and we won’t be done until we reach a fully circular battery value chain,” says Frydensvang.

At the plant in Fredrikstad, batteries are discharged and dismantled, and thereafter crushed and sorted into high-quality raw materials. The crushing and sorting facility is fully automated, and the company is currently building a new production line at the discharge and dismantling site.

With the new line, the company will be able to offer a semi-autonomous process for more efficient recycling processes and an opportunity to store energy from the discharged batteries for its own energy consumption or to stabilise the local grid.

The new EU Batteries Regulation ensures that, in the future, batteries will have a low carbon footprint, use minimal harmful substances and need fewer raw materials from non-EU countries. The batteries must also be collected, reused and recycled largely in Europe.

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“Legislation is good for recyclers,” states Frydensvang. “We are scaling up and showing that our model can be successful internationally. Our expansion plans include both France and Germany.”

Established in 2020, Hydrovolt is a 50/50 joint venture between the Norwegian industry giant Hydro and Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt. Hydrovolt is headquartered in Oslo and operates one of Europe’s largest EV battery recycling plants in Fredrikstad, Norway.