Volkswagen Group United Kingdom Ltd (VWG UK) has signed an agreement with battery recycling firm Ecobat, to collect and recycle EV batteries.

VWG UK says the deal will help it to promote a circular energy economy and ensures the UK’s largest automotive group can boost sustainability.

Director of One Aftersales for Volkswagen Group UK, Sylvain Charbonnier, said: “As we move to decarbonise road transport, the number of electric vehicles in our car parc is rapidly increasing, and we need to ensure sustainability throughout the lifecycle.”

Under this latest agreement, Ecobat will collect EV batteries to recycle lithium-ion battery materials. Batteries will be processed at Ecobat’s new UK lithium-ion recycling centre.

This is Ecobat’s third lithium-ion recycling facility, in addition to facilities operating in Germany and Arizona.

Elliott Ethridge, Vice President of Global Sales for Ecobat, said: “We have been recycling lead batteries for VWG UK for a decade, and we are delighted to be able to extend our relationship to recycle EV lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion is a fast-growing technology, and our recycling operations can handle everything from small-format batteries to EV batteries.”

Ecobat has a longstanding relationship with VWG UK dating back to 2014 when it started collecting lead acid batteries for TPS, the Volkswagen Group Genuine Parts provider to the independent motor trade.

The contract was expanded in 2019, when Ecobat started working with high-voltage batteries, and since the company’s UK Diagnostics and Disassembly Centre in Darlaston in the West Midlands was opened.

Volkswagen Group UK currently offers around 15 electric vehicles in the UK, a number which is set to rise.

Ecobat recycling fully complies with UK battery regulations, and the company is managing extended producer responsibility (EPR) on behalf of Volkswagen Group UK.