Altilium secures £18.5M from UK's DRIVE35 Fund to build first large-scale EV battery recycling facility in Plymouth.
Altilium, a clean technology company founded in Plymouth in 2020, has secured £18.5 million in funding from the UK government's DRIVE35 Scale-Up Fund. This funding will be used to build ACT3, the first large-scale electric vehicle (EV) battery recycling plant in the UK. The project also receives support from the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK and Innovate UK.
The initiative aims to address the UK's reliance on overseas battery materials, primarily sourced from countries like China. By establishing a local recycling facility, Altilium aims to enhance sustainability and security in the supply chain. The DRIVE35 grant represents the largest government award the company has received so far. Additional funding has come from the Faraday Institution's Battery Challenge and the Automotive Transformation Fund.
Once operational, ACT3 is expected to process up to 24,000 used EV batteries annually, producing essential materials like nickel mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP), lithium sulphate, and graphite. These materials are critical for manufacturing new batteries. Altilium forecasts that the plant will create approximately 70 skilled jobs in Plymouth, complementing its existing ACT2 pilot plant, which was inaugurated in late 2025.
ACT3 is projected to produce around 5,200 tonnes of MHP, 8,000 tonnes of lithium sulphate, and 5,400 tonnes of graphite each year. This facility is a stepping stone towards ACT4, a proposed large-scale plant in Teesside, anticipated to be one of Europe's largest EV battery recycling facilities. ACT4 plans to process scrap from over 150,000 EVs annually, potentially supplying 20% of the UK's battery needs by 2030.