Infinitev battery recycling program gears up

INNOVATIVE Mechatronics Group (IM Group) sustainable battery solutions offshoot, Infinitev, is gearing up to take part in Australia’s inaugural Battery Recycling and Manufacturing Summit.

The firm, which has largely pioneered the remanufacturing of hybrid and electric vehicle batteries in Australia, says it is committed to advancing the nation’s transition to electrification while championing a circular economy approach.

With nearly a decade of experience in remanufacturing EV batteries in Australia and New Zealand, Infinitev general manager, Dickson Leow, is set to deliver a keynote speech at the Battery Recycling and Manufacturing Summit.

Mr Leow says his address will “shed light on the company's journey, accomplishments, and future endeavours” while at the same time announcing details of the firm’s plans to “extend their remanufacturing expertise to plug-in hybrid EV batteries”.

Referencing Infinitev’s commitments to battery recycling already in play, Mr Leow said it is important that practical uses for out-of-life EV batteries be considered as part of a circular economy.

With assistance from Sustainability Victoria, Infinitev has already shown that battery energy storage systems (BESS) can be created from used vehicular battery packs, with saleable products to be available locally from 2024.

The firm has already secured strategic partnerships with multiple EV manufacturers to repurpose retired EV batteries, the process offering what Mr Leow says “guarantees the highest levels of safety and efficiency”.

It is also able to create reconditioned batteries for EVs, typically combining three end-of-life batteries to form one remanufactured unit. Such units are backed by a nation-wide three-year/40,000-kilometre warranty.

Any cells deemed unsuitable for reuse are responsibly processed through partners specialising in end-of-life recycling, thereby preventing batteries from entering landfills and minimising potential hazards.

Further, Infitiev partners with third-party battery recyclers to extract valuable materials from “dead cells” to create a valuable mixed metal dust known as black mass. The material plays a vital role in the extraction of critical metals such as lithium, cobalt, and manganese, contributing to the creation of new batteries.

To be held in Sydney on August 31, the Battery Recycling and Manufacturing Summit aims to discuss battery-related sustainability and circular economy practices within the automotive industry.

It will highlight several Australian initiatives that are already underway to help manage the transition to vehicle electrification, centring upon the idea that battery recycling is necessary to meet the world’s “critical mineral needs”.

Organisers say the event will “turbocharge the (battery recycling) sector and build on Australian ingenuity and export potential”.

Some 200 senior-level executives are expected to take part in the event, including CSIRO principal research scientist, Adam Best, LG Energy Solutions managing director, Phil Crotty, Vaulta CEO, Dominic Spooner, University of Newcastle professor of electrochemistry and energy storage, Scott Donne, and Association for the Battery Recycling Industry CEO, Katherine Hole.

More information about the Australian Battery Recycling and Manufacturing Summit can be found here.