Porsche has taken the next step in traction battery recycling. Together with the German company Cylib, the automaker has produced experimental battery cells where the cathode active material is 100% derived from recycled raw materials from its own high-voltage batteries.

First, spent batteries are discharged, disassembled, and mechanically shredded. This produces a so-called black mass – a mixture of materials from which lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese are then extracted. After purification, these components are converted into raw materials for new cathode materials.

The main difference in this new stage is that the recycled raw material has now completely replaced primary materials specifically in the cathode active material. The resulting cells are already undergoing testing in vehicles, but Porsche has not yet announced their readiness for use in production cars.

The pilot scheme has been operating since May 2026: batteries removed from Porsche vehicles in Germany are recycled using a hydrometallurgical process. The obtained raw materials are accounted for through a special mass balance system and are expected to become available for the production of new Porsche cells and selected partners from 2028.

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