Honda plans to use waste lithium batteries to produce nickel-cobalt alloys in 2025

Honda Motors plans to start producing nickel-cobalt alloys by 2025 using waste lithium-ion batteries as raw materials.

According to foreign media reports, on March 1, local time, an executive of the Japanese car manufacturer Honda Motor Company stated that the company plans to 2025, Started production of nickel-cobalt alloys using waste lithium-ion batteries as raw materials.

Honda’s hybrid passenger car models are all equipped with lithium-ion batteries. On March 1, local time, Tokyo held the Resource Recycling Expo. Tomokazu Abe, General Manager of the Recycling Resources Promotion Department of Honda Motor Company, said at the meeting: “From 2025, Honda will recycle a large number of used lithium-ion batteries. We will prepare a processing plant.'

Currently, Honda produces a total of 14 hybrid passenger car models. According to Honda, its hybrid vehicle sales accounted for 26% of its total sales, and it sold 747,177 vehicles in 2018. Abe also said: 'By 2030, Honda may generate 300,000 cars equipped with lithium-ion batteries.' Honda's plan is to use the anode of used batteries to produce nickel-cobalt alloys, with the goal of the hydrogen storage market.

Abe said: 'According to the market price in 2017, from a Fit car, we were able to recover a value of 4000 yen (about 36 US dollars, 239.2 yuan). Renminbi) nickel and cobalt materials.” So far, the company has a nickel recovery rate of 99.7%, a cobalt recovery rate of 91.3%, and a manganese recovery rate of 94.8%.

Abe said: 'People are worried about the shortage of nickel and cobalt materials, and that the cost of recycling will decrease in a few years.' Abe estimates that the current cost of recycling metal from waste batteries It is 100 yen per kilogram (approximately 5.98 yuan). However, people familiar with the recycling company said that because the battery supply is limited and the lack of mature recycling technology results in low efficiency, the current recycling cost is relatively high. Abe said that it can reduce the cost of recycling by controlling transportation costs and using robots to disassemble cars.

Honda plans to sell such secondary alloys as metal hydrides (MH) for use as alloys for hydrogen storage tanks. An executive from Japan Steel Works (JapanSteelWorks) said that in recent years, the demand for metal hydride alloys in Japan has doubled. The company has been producing such alloys and hydrogen storage tanks for more than 30 years.

The hydrogen storage tank of the Japan Steel Works is composed of metal hydride alloys. This type of alloy is composed of 60% nickel, 30% lanthanum and cerium, and 10% silicone resin composition. Nickel alloys will expand when in contact with hydrogen, and the addition of resin can control the expansion. According to Nippon Steel, 4 tons of such alloys are required to produce a hydrogen storage tank with a diameter of 4,200 mm and a height of 550 mm.