Considerations for the battery recycling ecosystem since March 2020
After use, the battery can be recycled as ESS or
Recover and recycle lithium, nickel, cobalt, etc.


As electric vehicles (EVs) become more widespread, concerns are growing about how to dispose of waste batteries. Kia and SK Innovation announced on the 29th that they have secured the technological foundation for recovering lithium and other metals from waste batteries, enabling the environmentally friendly disposal of EV batteries.

In March of last year, as part of their efforts to strengthen ESG management, the two companies signed a business agreement to build an EV battery industry ecosystem. Following this, they conducted a one-year pilot project to recycle used batteries, evaluating the feasibility, effectiveness, and efficiency of metal recovery within batteries.

Kia evaluates batteries after use using its battery performance evaluation system. Those with excellent residual performance are reused as energy storage systems (ESS) at the Hyundai Motor Group level, divided into modules or packs. Those with low residual performance are disassembled into individual cells.

SK Innovation uses its own technology to recover cathode metal resources such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt from batteries disassembled by Kia into individual cells, and uses them to recycle EV batteries.

The two companies plan to build an EV battery circulation ecosystem that encompasses ▲battery disassembly ▲metal resource recovery ▲cation material use ▲battery manufacturing ▲vehicle installation after use. We also plan to create various management models for eco-friendly disposal of batteries after use.

“We will apply this process to Kia’s first dedicated electric vehicle, the EV6, which will be released in the second half of the year, and enhance our position as an eco-friendly mobility brand,” said Kwon Hyuk-ho, head of Kia’s domestic business division.

Kim Chul-joong, head of SK Innovation's Strategy Division, explained, "Recycling used batteries is one way to address the growing demand for metal resources due to the global spread of electric vehicles, and it can also alleviate greenhouse gas emissions and the environmental burden on the country due to production."