In a significant move towards responsible battery management, RACE Energy, a leading electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure company for battery swapping, has announced a strategic partnership with Lohum, India’s largest sustainable energy transition materials producer. This collaboration will focus on handling EV battery waste and exploring second-life use applications.
Aligning with EPR Guidelines
This alliance, in harmony with the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) guidelines for responsible battery management, is designed to facilitate the recycling and refurbishing of over 90% of raw materials sourced from RACE’s used batteries. It serves as a milestone in the responsible disposal of batteries while adhering to environmental standards.
RACE Energy’s Proactive Sustainability Approach
RACE Energy marked a significant moment in its journey towards sustainability with the inauguration of its battery manufacturing facility in June 2023. The facility is equipped with a 50 MWh production plant, enabling the deployment of 30,000 batteries annually. What sets RACE Energy apart is its proactive approach to extending battery life by approximately 40%. This is achieved through unique charging algorithms and internal cooling systems integrated into the batteries and swap stations. As RACE Energy continues to expand its battery swapping operations, this partnership with LOHUM is a crucial step towards the responsible disposal of batteries.
LOHUM’s Groundbreaking Recycling Technology
Lohum employed NEETM multi-stage hydrometallurgical energy transition material recycling technology to produce Pure Metallic Lithium in September 2023, making it the first non-Chinese company to do so through recycling. This development carries profound implications for the closed-loop battery materials ecosystem. It enhances the utility and value of RACE Energy’s EV batteries by integrating them into secondary raw material and second-life applications.
Gautham Maheswaran, Co-Founder of RACE Energy, expressed his commitment to maximising battery utilisation. With RACE’s proprietary software, they incentivise drivers to efficiently use batteries for shorter trips, thereby extending their life cycle. This collaboration with LOHUM is set to further prolong the life of swappable battery modules, repurposing them for valuable second-life applications. The extracted raw materials from these batteries will play a vital role in Lithium-ion cell manufacturing, thereby contributing to the creation of a circular economy for EV batteries in India.
Chetan Jain, Senior VP – Business at Lohum, lauded RACE Energy’s contributions to boosting EV battery sustainability and the overall viability of EV infrastructure. He stressed that this partnership aligns perfectly with LOHUM’s mission of advancing the clean energy transition by establishing a parallel supply of secondary raw materials. This contributes to the everlasting nature of battery materials. Additionally, it helps reduce the demand for primary raw materials, which must be imported to support India’s rapidly growing EV ecosystem.
Since its establishment in 2019, RACE Energy’s innovative battery-swapping technology has effectively resolved issues such as high vehicle costs, long charging times, and range anxiety. RACE’s batteries are poised for second-life applications, including renewable energy storage and power backup, or they will be repurposed for smaller EVs.
Lohum’s role in this partnership involves the procurement of batteries from RACE, subjecting them to stringent testing, and exploring potential alternative uses. This promotes a circular economy, and as the Lithium-ion battery recycling market is projected to reach USD 14 billion by 2030, this partnership underscores a steadfast commitment to an environmentally-conscious future.
The partnership between RACE Energy and Lohum reflects a collaborative effort to manage and extend the life of EV batteries while contributing to a sustainable and environmentally friendly future for the EV industry in India.