Porsche Battery Recycling Advances With 100% Recycled Cells

Porsche Advances Battery Recycling With Recycled Cell Materials

Porsche battery recycling has reached a new testing stage, with the automaker producing battery cells using 100% recycled cathode active materials recovered from its own used high-voltage batteries. Porsche announced the partnership with German recycling company cylib and other partners on September 17, stating that the cells are now undergoing extensive testing. The project is intended to establish a closed-loop recycling system for high-voltage batteries while reducing reliance on critical raw materials. For the first time in the project, recycled materials have completely replaced primary raw materials in the battery cells being developed for Porsche test vehicles.

Recycled Materials Replace Primary Battery Inputs

The project, which began last year, is focused on recovering valuable materials from used high-voltage batteries, processing those materials, and returning them to battery-cell production. The recycled inputs include lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese, all of which have been recovered from old batteries and incorporated into new cells. Porsche is using the cells in test vehicles to evaluate how recycled materials perform when they fully replace primary raw materials. This approach moves the project beyond simply recovering battery materials and toward demonstrating their direct reuse in new cells, an important step in developing a closed-loop battery-material cycle.

Testing Evaluates Recycled Battery Material Performance

Porsche is conducting extensive testing to assess the quality and performance of the recycled materials used in the battery cells. Initial findings have confirmed that the recycling and cell-production process is technically possible, while additional results are expected during the second half of 2026. Those findings will help determine how the recycled materials perform under testing conditions and whether the process can support broader battery applications. Porsche said the results could provide a basis for using recycled materials in series-production battery cells in the future, subject to the outcomes of the ongoing evaluation and further development work.

Used Porsche Batteries Enter Regular Recycling Process

The recycling project is also being incorporated into Porsche's regular battery-disposal process, creating a direct connection between used high-voltage batteries and future material recovery. Through its partnership with cylib, Porsche can process used high-voltage batteries collected from Porsche Centers across Germany. This gives the project access to batteries from the automaker's existing operations rather than relying solely on separately sourced material. The integration is intended to establish a repeatable pathway for collecting batteries, recovering valuable materials, tracking those materials, and making them available for later battery production through the project's developing closed-loop system.

Water-Based Recycling Supports Material Recovery

Since May 2026, the used batteries covered by the project have been processed using a water-based recycling method. The recovered materials are tracked through a dedicated material account, allowing the materials obtained from the recycling process to remain traceable as they move toward potential future use. Porsche expects these recovered materials to be available to the automaker and selected partners for battery production from 2028. This planned availability provides a longer-term pathway between battery disposal and subsequent cell manufacturing, while the current testing program continues to evaluate whether the recovered materials can meet requirements for future battery applications.

European Recycled Materials Could Support Future Porsche Batteries

The longer-term objective extends beyond the current test cells and recycling operation. Porsche said recycled battery materials recovered in Europe could eventually be used in high-voltage batteries for Porsche vehicles. If the ongoing technical evaluation supports wider adoption, the project could connect battery recovery, material processing, traceability, and new-cell production within a more integrated European recycling cycle. The expected findings in H2 2026 represent the next major evaluation point, while the planned material availability from 2028 establishes a later milestone for potential battery production use. Further decisions will depend on testing results and subsequent development work.

Industry Impact & Outlook

Porsche's project illustrates how battery recycling can move from material recovery toward direct reuse of recovered inputs in new cells, with implications for automakers, battery suppliers, and recycling partners seeking more circular production systems. The use of recycled lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese could reduce dependence on primary raw materials if the process proves suitable for series production at the required quality and scale. For Porsche, integrating batteries collected through its German network creates a defined source of recyclable material, while the planned 2028 availability could provide a pathway toward broader production use. The H2 2026 testing results will be important for determining the project's next development steps.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Porsche testing with recycled battery materials?
Porsche is testing battery cells in which recycled materials have fully replaced primary raw materials, using materials recovered from its own used high-voltage batteries. The cathode active materials include lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese. The cells are being evaluated in test vehicles as Porsche examines their quality and performance. Initial results have confirmed that the process is technically possible, while further findings are expected in H2 2026. The results could support future use of recycled materials in series-production battery cells, depending on the outcome of continued testing and development.

When could the recycled battery materials be used for production?
Porsche expects recovered materials from the recycling process to become available to Porsche and selected partners for battery production from 2028. The materials are being recovered from used high-voltage batteries collected through Porsche Centers across Germany and processed using a water-based recycling method. Before broader production use, Porsche is continuing to evaluate the quality and performance of the recovered materials through extensive testing. The company has said that additional findings expected in H2 2026 could help determine whether the recycled materials are suitable for future series-production battery cells.