Volkswagen Planning End-of-life Electric Car Battery Recycling

Added: 24 May 2019

All across the Heritage group we’ve noticed a growing interest among our customers in electric and hybrid vehicles. And it’s not very hard to see why. We live in an enlightened era where we can see more clearly than ever what impact the decisions we make as consumers have on the world around us. In the information age we can no longer ignore the need to live our lives more sustainably. Fortunately, the automotive industry is constantly looking for new ways in which to help drivers everywhere to drive with sustainability, comfort and style. At Heritage Volkswagen we’ve seen first-hand the effort, energy and ingenuity that have gone into Volkswagen’s advances in sustainable motoring over the past few years.

Volkswagen's commitment to sustainability

The Volkswagen Group has done an exemplary job of making sustainability the driving force behind its operations. The group works with renowned international experts to find innovative solutions to bringing down the brand’s carbon footprint all over the world. From the rollout of new electric vehicles to the introduction of its fuel additive AdBlue to break down harmful nitrous oxide in fuel emissions and separate it into harmless nitrogen and oxygen, the brand continues to fight the battle of sustainability on a number of fronts.

Recently, it pioneered a new scheme, a battery recycling scheme for EV batteries that have reached their end of life.

Volkswagen’s end of life battery recycling scheme

Volkswagen has been very vocal in its plan to build one million electric vehicles by 2025. Yet, they also know that electric vehicles bring their own sustainability concerns on a long-term basis. EV batteries require rare metals like cobalt and manganese to run. Digging these finite resources out of the ground may be more sustainable than digging for fossil fuels, but digging for them in old batteries is a much more ecologically sound alternative.

As such, the brand is committed to a system of energy efficient recycling for old EV batteries which may not be able to power a car any longer, but still have a lot to offer the field of sustainable motoring.

At their component plant in Salzgitter, Germany, the brand is in the process of establishing its first ever centre for EV battery recycling. By next year, the centre aims to have an initial capacity to recycle roughly 3,000 vehicles’ worth (1,200) tons of EV batteries per year. Using a special shredder, the electrolyte is cleaned off of the battery parts which are then separated into raw materials for future battery production. Pretty cool, eh?

So you can buy a brand new electric Volkswagen safe in the knowledge that you’re leading the charge for a more sustainable future.

Trust Heritage Volkswagen for all of your electric vehicle sales and servicing needs

An electric vehicle is an important investment and has its own unique servicing and maintenance needs. Fortunately, at Heritage Volkswagen we have the knowledge and the passion for customer care to ensure that you get the most out of your electric vehicle. We are proud to represent the Volkswagen brand across the south with locations in Bristol, Dorchester, Gloucester, Salisbury, Westbury, Weston-Super-Mare and Yeovil. When it comes to new and used vehicle sales, repairs, servicing and maintenance we are the premier choice for Volkswagen customers in the south of England. And we won’t be beaten on price. Ever!