Porsche has produced battery cells in a pilot project using cathode active material made entirely from recycled raw materials. The materials include lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese recovered from the automaker’s end-of-life high-voltage batteries.
Aachen-based battery recycling company cylib is among the partners involved in the project. Porsche is currently testing the cells under real-world conditions. According to the company, initial tests indicate that the approach could be technically viable. Further results are expected before the end of 2026.
Recycled raw materials replace primary materials
The project began last year. It involves recovering raw materials from end-of-life high-voltage batteries, processing them, and using them to produce new battery cells. In the current phase of the project, recycled active materials completely replace the primary materials previously used.
Findings from the ongoing tests are therefore expected to provide a basis for the potential use of these materials in series-production battery cells.
Battery recycling underway since May 2026
According to Porsche, findings from the pilot project are already being incorporated into its regular battery disposal process. Since May 2026, end-of-life high-voltage batteries from Porsche Centers in Germany have been recycled using a water-based process.
The recovered battery raw materials are recorded in a material account. Starting in 2028, they are expected to be available to Porsche and selected partner companies for battery cell production. In the longer term, this could allow recycled raw materials from Europe to be used again in the automaker’s high-voltage batteries.
Source:
https://newsroom.porsche.com/de/2026/unternehmen/porsche-cylib-batterierecycling-43261.html
