Porsche Produces Battery Cells Using 100% Recycled Raw Materials

Photo Credit: Porsche 

According to company reports, Porsche has produced battery cells with cathode active material made entirely from recycled raw materials for the first time, marking a new stage in its pilot project on high-voltage battery recycling with German recycling company cylib.

The pilot project uses raw materials recovered from Porsche’s own end-of-life high-voltage batteries. The recycled cathode active material contains lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese, replacing primary raw materials in the battery cells. The resulting cells are now undergoing operational testing in Porsche vehicles to assess their technical performance under real-world conditions.

The project builds on a high-voltage battery recycling program launched by Porsche and its partners last year. Under the process, end-of-life batteries are recycled to recover valuable raw materials, which are then processed into materials for new battery cells. Porsche said initial testing has demonstrated the techni cal feasibility of using the recycled materials, with further results expected in the second half of 2026.

A key focus of the next stage is assessing whether the recycled materials meet Porsche’s requirements for quality, performance and resource efficiency. The company said the findings from the pilot could support potential future use of recycled materials in series-production battery cells.

Since May 2026, end-of-life high-voltage batteries collected from Porsche Centers across Germany have been recycled through a water-based process developed with cylib. The recovered raw materials are tracked through a dedicated material account and are expected to become available to Porsche and selected partners for battery cell production from 2028.

Porsche said the approach could allow battery materials recovered in Europe to be returned to the production of high-voltage batteries for future vehicles, reducing reliance on primary raw materials sourced from global markets.

For cylib, the project demonstrates the potential to connect battery collection, material recovery and new battery production within a closed-loop system. The company said its recycling process is designed to recover valuable materials from end-of-life batteries for potential reuse in new high-performance batteries.

The pilot project is part of Porsche’s broader efforts to increase the circular use of materials from high-voltage batteries. Further technical results from the current testing phase are expected later in 2026.

Source: Porsche Newsroom

SUNSHINE Spotlight: Porsche has produced battery cells using cathode active material made entirely from recycled lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese recovered from end-of-life high-voltage batteries.