Porsche produces cathode active materials from recycled raw materials
Porsche has for the first time succeeded in producing battery cells whose cathode active materials are 100 percent made from recycled raw materials such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese sourced from its own high-voltage batteries. The battery recycling startup Cylib was involved in this effort.
Porsche Uses Recycled Battery Materials for New Cells
Image: Cylib/Jann Höfer
Porsche’s efforts to recover raw materials from high-voltage batteries and establish a closed-loop material cycle have been known since last year. At that time, the sports car manufacturer launched a pilot project with the Aachen-based startup Cylib, in which it had already participated in 2024.
The pilot project with Cylib was divided into three phases. In the first phase, used high-voltage batteries from Porsche’s development vehicles were to be mechanically crushed and processed into sludge, which contains important raw materials such as nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium. In the second phase, the sludge was to be further refined and separated into the raw materials needed to manufacture new battery cells for traction batteries. Finally, in the third phase, battery cells with a defined proportion of recycled materials were to be produced, and their potential use in Porsche vehicles was to be tested.
Porsche plans to test battery cells in prototype cars
The project has now reached phase three: For the first time, Porsche has been able to manufacture battery cells together with partners such as Cylib, whose cathode active materials are 100 percent derived from recycled raw materials like lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese sourced from the high-voltage batteries of its own vehicles. These innovative battery cells are set to be tested in Porsche test vehicles.
Porsche states that initial tests have already shown the technical viability of this approach. Further results are expected later this year. The insights gained from the pilot project aim to serve as a foundation for the potential use of recycled battery materials in series-produced battery cells.
"With battery cells made from fully recycled raw materials such as lithium or cobalt, we have achieved an important technological milestone. This innovation is a key step toward advancing circular economy and raw material resilience together. Always with the goal of optimizing progress, quality, and resource efficiency," says Joachim Scharnagl, Head of Procurement at Porsche.
Closing the loop in battery recycling
"Cylib completes the cycle in battery recycling – from used batteries to raw materials," adds Dr. Lilian Schwich, Co-CEO and co-founder of Cylib. "The pilot project with Porsche demonstrates that our approach is feasible in practice: valuable raw materials from Porsche batteries at the end of their first use can potentially be reused to create new high-performance batteries for Porsche vehicles."
The initial findings from the pilot project are already being integrated into Porsche centers in Germany’s regular battery disposal process. Starting in May 2026, batteries will be recycled using an innovative water-based method. The battery raw materials obtained from this process are tracked by Cylib on a material account and will be available to Porsche and selected partner companies for battery cell production starting in 2028. This aims to reduce dependence on global raw material sources. In the long term, this approach could enable recycled battery raw materials in Europe to be used in high-voltage batteries for standard Porsche electric vehicles.