Two major players in the U.K.'s electric vehicle space are teaming up to tackle EV battery waste. 

Fleet management company Zenith has partnered with battery recycling firm Recell.Store to give used batteries a longer and cleaner life.

The partnership will focus on safe, sustainable ways to reuse, repurpose, and recycle EV batteries retired from Zenith's fleet. 

Battery electric vehicles already make up nearly half of Zenith's corporate and consumer-funded fleet, and all of its employee fleet. Instead of letting those batteries pile up in landfills or enter risky disposal chains, Zenith will work with Recell.Store's digital platform to find ways to reuse them. 

If they can't be repurposed, they'll go to Recell's parent company's recycling center for materials recovery.

As EVs replace gas-powered cars — reducing the tailpipe emissions that contribute to rising global temperatures — ensuring battery supply chains are circular and ethical is an important part of the industry. 

Recell.Store's parent company, Altilium, uses a proprietary recycling process that recovers more than 95% of cathode metals while producing up to 74% fewer emissions of heat-trapping pollution than mining.

This will not only reduce the environmental hazards of battery waste — including toxic metals that can leach into groundwater and soil — but it also helps recover valuable materials like lithium, cobalt, and nickel, which can be reused. 

That reduces the demand for resource-intensive mining, cuts costs, and could make future EV batteries cheaper and more sustainable to produce — and more affordable for consumers.

"Finding a safe and ethical way to dispose of batteries addresses a current and growing issue in our sector," said Alan Bastey of Zenith in a statement. 

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"This partnership ensures we have the foundations in place to enable us to manage the asset responsibly on behalf of our customer, while setting standards within the industry."

For drivers thinking about making their next car an EV, partnerships like this make the decision even smarter — both financially and environmentally speaking.

"We're excited to be partnering with Zenith to build the foundations of a circular economy for EV batteries in the U.K.," said Recell.Store's head of operations, Rod Savage. 

"Together, we're making it easier and safer for fleet owners to handle EV battery disposal responsibly and meet their ESG requirements, while unlocking second-life value and reducing environmental impact."

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