Porsche is taking a major step toward recycling end-of-life EV batteries, producing new battery cells with cathode active materials made from recycled materials extracted from its own used high-voltage batteries. The German automaker is working with Germany-based battery recycling company cylib on a process designed to reuse key raw materials and reduce dependence on global sources.
Porsche Is Recycling Its Old EV Batteries
EV batteries degrade over time, and their driving range eventually declines after countless charge cycles. Safely disposing of or recycling these lithium-ion batteries remains a common concern surrounding electric cars.
Through its partnership with cylib, a battery recycling company founded in Germany in 2022, Porsche is working to give old EV batteries a second life.
The automaker has already produced battery cells using cathode active materials made from recycled materials recovered from its own end-of-life high-voltage batteries. Porsche’s goal is to establish a closed-loop circular economy for EV batteries while reducing dependence on global sources for the raw materials needed to produce new cells.
The recycling effort could also help address supply challenges for Porsche and Europe as a whole. China controls over 70 percent of the world EV market, making the reuse of materials from old EV batteries a potential way to reduce reliance on external raw-material sources.
How Porsche’s EV Battery Recycling Process Works
Porsche’s recycling process is divided into three stages: recover, refine and reuse.
The process begins by dismantling old and used EV batteries to recover raw materials in the form of processed black mass. That black mass is then refined to extract essential materials, including nickel, lithium, cobalt and manganese.
Those recovered materials can then be used to produce new EV battery cells, completing the recycling cycle and returning materials from old batteries to the production process.
What’s Next for Porsche’s Recycled EV Batteries?
Before recycled battery cells are used in production vehicles, Porsche will evaluate whether they meet the automaker’s quality and performance standards.
Porsche has already been testing the new cells in its test cars, with initial results showing positive signs. Future testing results will determine whether the batteries are ready for a second life in future Porsche EVs.
Porsche also said it began recycling old EV batteries in May 2026. The recovered raw materials are being tracked through its dedicated material account and will be available for cell production to Porsche or other selected companies by 2028.
