Porsche recycles its old batteries to make new ones.

For several months now, Porsche has been working to recycle the batteries from its own electric vehicles in a closed loop system. In collaboration with the German company cylib, the automaker has managed to produce battery cells whose cathode active materials come 100% from the recycling of its own batteries. This experiment could lead to their use on a large scale.

Creating a new battery using only materials from an old one—on paper, this is exactly the principle of a circular economy. In practice, however, the process is obviously very complex. Porsche has likely just made significant progress with its German partner cylib.

Materials recovered from old Porsche vehicles

In this pilot project launched in 2025, used high-voltage batteries from Porsche are first discharged and disassembled. They are then crushed to create a “black mass” that still contains several valuable raw materials. These materials are subsequently separated and refined so they can be reused.

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Porsche has now reached the final stage of this process. The manufacturer had cells manufactured whose cathode active materials consist exclusively of recycled lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese from its own batteries. This is not yet a battery made 100% from recycled materials; it only refers to the active materials used in the cathode for now.

Next step: verifying performance

Porsche is currently testing these new cells to assess their quality and performance under real-world conditions. The Stuttgart-based company believes the initial tests are “sufficiently encouraging to continue with the project.” However, Porsche has not yet officially announced their deployment in production vehicles.

The initiative is already gaining momentum. Since May 2026, end-of-life batteries collected at Porsche centers in Germany have been recycled using cylib through a process that involves water. The recovered materials are set to be made available to Porsche and certain partners starting in 2028.

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The issue isn’t just environmental. Recycling more lithium, nickel, or cobalt in Europe also helps reduce dependence on imported raw materials. European regulations will push manufacturers in this direction: starting in 2031, electric car batteries must contain at least 16% recycled cobalt, 6% lithium, and 6% nickel.