Toyota is one of the world’s leading ‘green’ car brands, and now they are doing everything they can to ensure their vehicles don’t cause unnecessary waste. The company recently announced plans to recycle old NiMH batteries that were used in their hybrid cars, such as the Prius, which was introduced in 2000.
The new business venture will see the development of a technology that will recover the nickel from old batteries and re-use it in new ones. This process, known as battery-to-battery recycling, will hopefully bring down the costs of manufacturing hybrid power systems.
Toyota is collaborating with its Chemical Engineering branch to construct the recycling facilities that will recover the nickel and produce top-of-the-line units. The nickel will be refined by Japanese firm Sumitomo Metal Mining. Previously, NiMH (nickel-metal-hydride) batteries were recovered by car dealers and vehicle dismantling businesses, where any scrap containing nickel was recycled as a raw material for stainless-steel manufacturing.
Toyota is also ensuring quality-control by making sure Primearth EV Energy Co., Ltd. (PEVE) aids in the manufacture of the new batteries. A fleet of trucks will transport the old batteries to the recycling plants, making sure that Toyota’s next generation of hybrid vehicles are as green as possible.
+ Toyota
Via Green Optimistic
