“We save raw materials,” said Murat Bayram about his business. He is the head of EMR GmbH (European Metal Recycling) in Hamburg.
Image: Lucas Wahl
The batteries of electric cars are full of valuable raw materials. But how do you recycle them? First companies see new business opportunities.
The workshop is brand new and still almost empty. Two men struggle with white cloth gloves, plucking and pulling until they are seated. Then come the bulky red protective gloves, which dissipate electrical charge. The battery of an electric car that is to be recycled lies on a metal frame in front of the men: a flat structure several square meters in size, weighs half a ton, and is completely encased in aluminium.
Susanne Preuss
Business correspondent in Hamburg.
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It’s only the third battery they’ve taken apart for recycling. By the end of the year, thousands of batteries will have passed through here, and the trend is rapidly increasing. The completely new plant of the metal recycler EMR (European Metal Recycling) in Hamburg is designed for 25,000 tons per year, which corresponds to around 50,000 batteries.