Altilium opens the UK's first EV battery recycling plant

Altilium is a UK clean-technology company that recycles end-of-life EV batteries and gigafactory scrap into cathode active materials, using its EcoCathode process to feed the metals straight back into new battery cells.

That spent EV batteries could become Britain's raw-material mine — recovering 95%+ of cathode metals and upcycling them into cells OEMs validate before 2031 rules bite.

Backed by SQM Lithium Ventures and Japanese trading group Marubeni, with public funding from the Advanced Propulsion Centre and Innovate UK (UKBIC, Best Mag).

With 60–70% of lithium for EV batteries coming from China, the UK began pushing for a domestic supply chain. Altilium piloted its EcoCathode chemistry at the ACT1 plant in Devon, then stood up ACT2 in Plymouth as the UK's first plant dedicated to recovering critical materials from end-of-life EV batteries.

ACT2 applies and refines the EcoCathode process at a scale of 300kg of black mass per day, recovering over 95% of critical metals including lithium. In March 2025 Altilium and UKBIC produced the UK's first EV battery cells from recycled cathode active material — high-nickel NMC 811 made at its Devon facilities and turned into pouch cells in Coventry, now headed for validation with a leading automotive OEM; the plant's official opening followed in October 2025.

Scaling as of October 2025: ACT2 is the UK's first-of-a-kind EV battery recycling plant and the basis for a planned ACT4 facility in Teesside that would produce 30,000 tonnes of cathode material a year — nearly 20% of expected UK demand by 2030.

The EU Battery Regulation's 2031 recycled-content mandate created guaranteed future demand, making early supply-chain proof the competitive scarce asset.

Going straight to OEM-grade NMC 811 cathode kept Altilium out of the commodity black-mass export race and inside automakers' qualification pipelines.

Independent analyses helped de-risk buyers: Imperial College found recycled materials match or beat mined ones, and Minviro measured up to 74% lower climate impact than Chinese virgin supply chain.

Public and strategic capital — APC, Innovate UK, SQM Lithium Ventures, Marubeni — bridged the gap from pilot chemistry to a first-of-kind plant.

When regulation guarantees future demand, the scarce asset is validated supply: prove recycled material meets OEM specs first, and you own the only compliant domestic source.

As of October 2025 Altilium operates the UK's first EV battery recycling plant (ACT2, Plymouth) at 300kg of black mass per day, has produced the UK's first battery cells from recycled cathode with UKBIC, and is validating that material with a leading automotive OEM. The company is developing ACT4 in Teesside to produce 30,000 tonnes of cathode active material annually — nearly 20% of expected UK demand by 2030 — and says the ACT3 and ACT4 plants would create over 250 skilled jobs, positioning Altilium to supply the EU's post-2031 recycled-content requirements from a domestic chain.