Mercedes announces the inauguration of a new factory dedicated to upgrading the batteries of its electric cars. Thus, the German manufacturer promises a recycling rate of up to 96%, surpassing all its rivals and Tesla in particular. A new blow for the detractors of this type of engine.
If the electric car does not pollute during its use, since it does not release gases into the atmosphere, we know that it is not free of defects and that its production is not perfectly clean. But for years detractors make the battery recycling argument to show that it is still harmful to the environment. In fact, many say that it is impossible to update them, or that it is also very polluting. However, this is false.
a big step forward
Today, battery recycling is no longer a concern, while there are many solutions. Those whose capacity exceeds 80% may be reconditioned and installed again in electric cars. The rest are disassembled and used for other purposes. Many companies are working on it, including car manufacturers. This is particularly the case with Mercedes, which takes this issue very seriously.
So much so that the star’s firm has just announced in a press release the inauguration of its very new plant dedicated to battery recycling. Located in Germany in the small town of Kuppenheim, not far from the border with France, it will then dedicate itself 100% to the disassembly of the accumulators of the brand’s cars. As a reminder, it already markets several electric models, including EQA, EQB, EQE or even EQS in sedans and SUVs.
The development of this new site will take place in several stages. First, the plant will be only mechanical disassembly can be practiced, since the end of the year. But she shouldn’t stop there. In fact, discussions are already underway to consider expansion and new activities. Indeed, Mercedes also hopes to be able to tackle hydrometallurgy. This process allows the different metals contained in an ore to be separated in order to recover them.
Thus, the manufacturer could recycle its car batteries in one place, which would save time and money. savings in logistics. In addition, it is obviously more ecological, thus avoiding having to transport items by truck between several factories. Furthermore, the press release states that this factory would be CO2 neutral and equipped with solar panels. According to the brand, this approach of bringing all the stages together in one place would currently be unique in Europe.
A record rate
For now, Mercedes has not specified the amount of the investment for this plant, classified as a scientific research project. Thus, the company will also be able to count on the support of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, which will also have to add funds to this titanic project. Thus, the brand would be able to achieve a recycling rate of its batteries of up to 96%, a current record. Mercedes calls this figure excellent ” mine tomorrow« .
It would then surpass Redwood Materials, which has just announced the results of its experiment launched a year ago and which could improve batteries by up to 95%. These are reused in particular to transform them into new components such as anodes and cathodes for other accumulators. Mercedes announces that its pilot plant should be able to recycler 2 500 batteries per anwhich will make it possible to produce around 50,000 modules for the brand’s electric cars.
A figure that may seem low, but that has an explanation. Mercedes claims thatthere just aren’t enough batteries to recycle yet. We need electric cars at the end of their life to be able to recycle the batteries.
This should accelerate as electric car sales increase, such as in France, where they have overtaken diesels. Be that as it may, Mercedes is giving Tesla a beating, which until then bragged about upgrading its batteries to 92%. But the brand will have to compete with Volkswagen, which plans to recycle its packaging almost infinitely in the coming years.
Meanwhile, other manufacturers have developed more surprising solutions, such as Suzuki, which powers the streetlights with the batteries of its hybrid cars. Nissan had done the same thing a few years earlier with Leaf accumulators.
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