Hyundai batteries to be recycled by Quebec firm Lithion

Hyundai Canada announced on Thursday a partnership with the Quebec company Lithion, based in Saint-Bruno near Montreal, to collect electric vehicle batteries and modules for recycling.

This new multi-year agreement follows the first agreement between the two companies in 2021, aimed at validating Critical Mineral Extraction technology. This unique extraction solution recovers up to 98% of the minerals contained in batteries. 

Hyundai currently markets six electric vehicles - the Kona Electric, IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6, as well as the Genesis GV60, GV70 Electrified and G80 Electrified. Another, the three-row IONIQ 9 SUV, will arrive in 2025. Plug-in hybrids, which also use a high-voltage battery, include the Tucson PHEV.

Thanks to this strategic partnership, over 250 Hyundai and Genesis dealers and distributors across the country will now be able to contact the Lithion team when they have a vehicle with an end-of-life battery. Lithion will then arrange for the battery to be transported to its recently inaugurated recycling plant in Saint-Bruno.

The Korean carmaker will also benefit from Lithion's unique expertise in battery management, from logistics and collection to dismantling, to ensure that recycling is carried out as safely and quickly as possible.

“As a leader in the transition to electrification, it's vital for us to ensure that the electric vehicles we market have the smallest possible environmental footprint. This partnership with Lithion allows us to ensure optimal recycling of our batteries while doing business with a Canadian company,” said Ken Maisonville, Executive Director of Customer Experience and After-Sales Service at Hyundai Auto Canada.

Since the completion in June 2024 of its first commercial plant dedicated to the extraction of critical minerals from lithium-ion batteries, Lithion claims that its commercial activities have progressed considerably with the signing of several battery supply agreements.

In September 2022, US giant General Motors, via its subsidiary GM Ventures, made a strategic investment in Lithion's funding round, supporting a strategic partnership agreement focused on Lithion's recycling technologies to implement battery material circularity for electric vehicles.