Mercedes-Benz Begins Building Battery Recycling Plant in Kuppenheim, Germany

Mercedes-Benz her begun building a new battery recycling factory in Kuppenheim, Germany, cutting resource consumption and establishing closed-loop recycling of battery raw materials. The first stage of the plant - mechanical dismantling of electric vehicle batteries - is scheduled to start ramping up at the end of this year.

Mercedes-Benz is set to invest a double-digit million Euro amount in the construction of the balance sheet CO₂-neutral plant.

The pilot plant is expected to have an annual capacity of 2,500 tonnes.

The recovered materials will be fed back into the recycling loop to produce more than 50,000 battery modules for new Mercedes-Benz models. 

Based on the findings of the pilot factory, production volumes could be scaled up in the medium to long term.

Batteries that can no longer be used in vehicles can continue to be used in a 2nd-life storage system.

The investment strengthens the role of the Kuppenheim site within the global Mercedes-Benz production network.

Jörg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Production and Supply Chain Management, says: "This foundation symbolises the decisive step towards closing the material cycle for batteries from Mercedes-Benz. With a recycling rate of more than 96 percent, a 'mine of tomorrow' is being created here in Kuppenheim. The innovative technology approach enables us to incorporate the valuable raw materials into new Mercedes-EQ vehicles."

He adds: "We are consistently expanding our expertise of the battery value chain and are taking an important step in our strategy towards 'Electric Only'. Together with our partners from industry and science, we are demonstrating the potential of Baden-Württemberg and Germany to innovate in the area of sustainable electromobility."

Mercedes-Benz has established a successful business model with stationary large-scale energy storages through its subsidiary Mercedes-Benz Energy