BMW Group details battery recycling and low-carbon materials for new X5

The BMW Group describes a lifecycle sustainability approach covering direct battery recycling at its Salching center, which will recover tens of tonnes of cell material a year at full capacity and return it to cell production in Parsdorf. For the new BMW X5, the company reports a roughly 40 percent cut in supply chain CO2e emissions, with about 50 percent of its flat steel from electric arc furnace production. The battery-electric iX5 60 xDrive uses secondary raw materials equal to 940 kilograms, and Gen6 cells cut CO2e per watt-hour by about 28 percent versus Gen5.

Key facts

Market context

Lithium-ion battery cells rely on lithium, nickel and cobalt in their cathodes, while automakers use flat steel and aluminium for body structures. Demand for these metals is driven mainly by electric vehicle production, along with consumer electronics and grid storage, so recovered battery metals are increasingly valued alongside mined supply. Mechanical recycling, which physically separates cell material before recovery, is one route to returning black mass to cell makers and can reduce dependence on primary ore. Steel made in electric arc furnaces typically uses scrap and generally carries a lower carbon footprint than blast furnace steel, which makes it attractive to buyers tracking supply chain emissions. Moves like these can tighten demand for scrap and secondary metals, shift sourcing toward recyclers, and put pressure on suppliers to document emissions. Carbon accounting and recycled content requirements in vehicle programmes are becoming important factors in material selection and procurement.

Source: official release on bmwgroup.com. Summary and context written by Market Krystal.