UK Government grants funding for a battery recycling project, backed by Jaguar Land Rover
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The UK government has provided £8.1 million in funding for a new electric vehicle (EV) battery recycling project backed by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), aiming to support the country's transition to a greener automotive industry.
The project, located in Britain's West Midlands, is part of the UK Department for Business and Trade's 2.5-billion-pound DRIVE35 program, which aims to support job creation and EV innovation. The funding includes £4.05 million directly from the government's Advanced Propulsion Centre UK.
The initiative, which will run for three years (2025–2028), is a significant step towards closing the materials loop in the UK's EV sector. Led by JLR alongside partners Mint Innovation, LiBatt Recycling, and the University of Warwick’s Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), the project recovers battery-grade metals domestically, feeding recycled lithium, nickel, and cobalt back into EV battery manufacturing within the UK automotive sector.
By establishing local recycling infrastructure, this initiative builds UK capacity to supply essential materials for EV production, minimizing dependence on imported raw materials and exposure to global market volatility. The recycling process uses a low-energy, low-emission bioleaching technique, reducing the carbon footprint of battery production and recycling.
This project is one of the first major initiatives under the UK’s £2.5 billion DRIVE35 program, designed to accelerate innovation and infrastructure for electric mobility ahead of the 2035 combustion engine ban. The UK government's funding contributes to the country's efforts to reduce reliance on virgin raw materials, stabilize supply, cut emissions, and strengthen domestic industrial resilience as it moves towards banning new internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035.
Alongside recycling, the project includes smart charging solutions led by JLR to further reduce EV operating costs and grid emissions, complementing the overall EV ecosystem development. The project aims to recover critical minerals like lithium, nickel, and cobalt from end-of-life batteries, supporting a circular supply chain that reduces reliance on virgin raw materials.
In April, Britain softened its demands on automakers to shift to EV production, and the country plans to phase out sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035. However, consumer concerns about high upfront costs remain a barrier to the global demand for EVs. In June, Jaguar Land Rover trimmed its fiscal 2026 margin forecast due to slowing global auto demand.
The funded battery recycling initiative drives the UK’s EV transition by ensuring sustainable, low-carbon, and resilient material supply chains vital for expanding EV manufacturing and adoption domestically. It addresses both environmental goals and industrial strategy by closing the loop on critical battery materials.
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- The collaboration between Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and partners in the environmental-science field, such as Mint Innovation and the University of Warwick’s Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), is using technology to innovate in the finance sector, as they aim to generate revenue by recycling battery-grade metals from electric vehicle (EV) batteries, thereby increasing business opportunities within the UK's EV industry.
- As the UK government invests in the transition to a greener automotive industry, the funding of technology-driven projects like the EV battery recycling initiative could foster sustainable growth in science, business, and technology, potentially leading to a more resilient and competitive economy in the face of global market fluctuations and environmental challenges.
