Altilium, a UK-based clean technology group dedicated to supporting the transition to net zero, has secured £1 million in grant funding from the Department for Business and Trade’s DRIVE35 programme, delivered through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC). The award will accelerate the development of a prototype system tailored to the safe, sustainable, and cost-efficient collection and transportation of end-of-life electric vehicle (EV) batteries, laying the groundwork for the UK’s first fully circular EV battery supply chain.
This project represents a critical component of Altilium’s integrated circularity model. Collected batteries will be transported using a low-carbon logistics solution before being shredded to produce black mass. That material will then undergo chemical refining via the company’s proprietary EcoCathode™ recycling technology, generating battery-ready materials such as graphite, battery metal salts, p-CAM, and CAM. By combining secure collection with advanced recycling processes, Altilium aims to offer an end-to-end service that keeps critical resources within the UK.
Dr Christian Marston, Altilium COO, commented: “We’re grateful for the APC’s continued support for innovative zero emission technologies and the UK government’s commitment to building a globally competitive EV supply chain. With this new DRIVE35 funding we are building the next phase of our full battery circularity model, reducing potential barriers to high collection rates needed to support robust recovery and recycling and ensuring critical resources remain in the UK.”
With EV adoption on the rise, end-of-life battery volumes in the UK are projected to reach approximately 1.4 million packs per year by 2040. Industry studies estimate that transportation accounts for around 41 percent of total recycling costs and up to 3.5 percent of life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions for recycled batteries. An efficient, safe logistics network will therefore be essential to maximizing the reuse and recycling of this growing volume of end-of-life batteries.
In parallel with the prototype project, Altilium has launched recell.store, the UK’s first marketplace for old EV batteries, to secure feedstock for its existing and planned recycling facilities, including the ACT 3 scale-up plant in Plymouth. Commissioning in late 2026, ACT 3 will have capacity to recover materials from 24,000 EVs per year.
Altilium’s transport solution is one of 34 projects sharing a total investment of £61.1 million—£30.1 million of which comes from Demonstrate grants under the DRIVE35 initiative, matched by industry funding. The DRIVE35 programme supports fast-start automotive projects with clear routes to market, reinforcing the UK’s position at the forefront of zero-emission vehicle manufacturing.
Source: Altilium Tech
