Infinitev program adopts circular economy business model for EV battery recycling

Victorian-based Innovative Mechatronics Group (IM Group) has found a way to address the growing e-waste stream from hybrid and electric vehicle (EV) batteries. IM Group has just been awarded $500,000 from CEBIC’s Circular Economy Business Support Fund to develop a program to reuse, repurpose and recycle EV batteries when they reach the end of their life.

IM Group’s Infinitev program hopes to tackle the ‘take-make-waste' approach to EV batteries by remanufacturing retired battery packs.

Developed in partnership with Sustainability Victoria, Infinitev’s Battery Energy Storage System uses batteries no longer suited to vehicle applications and repurposes them into an energy storage system, providing an industrial grade plug-in energy system.

Sustainability Victoria’s Interim CEO, Matt Genever says, “The Infinitev initiative is the first of its kind to adopt a circular economy business model to create Australia’s first scalable reuse and recycling program for retired lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles.”

The Infinitiev program hopes to be fully operational by March 2024.