Ceva Logistics has announced a dedicated service for the collection, processing, and repurposing of EV batteries, underpinned by a multi-million-euro investment and a phased rollout across 10 European countries by 2027.
The first specialized centers will open in France, the UK, and Spain before year-end, followed by facilities in Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic. Each site will sit within Ceva’s finished-vehicle hubs, giving the company access to existing transport corridors and dealer networks. The initiative responds to a tightening policy landscape: under the EU Battery Regulation, producers will soon face minimum requirements for recycled content and extended responsibility for collection and treatment.
A pilot installation in Ghislenghien, Belgium, launched in 2022, has been used to stress-test safety and workflow standards. Lessons from the pilot — including the need for temperature-controlled containers and robust fire-suppression systems — have informed the blueprint for new locations.
Ceva’s strategy rests on three pillars: safe collection and transport; extended services such as diagnostics, dismantling, and cell regeneration; and traceability to ensure regulatory compliance. Real-time tracking of each unit is designed to meet requirements on hazardous-goods handling and provide transparency to automakers seeking documentation for reused or recycled components.
The company expects regeneration and reconditioning to offset some processing costs by salvaging high-value materials or refurbishing modules for secondary use in stationary storage. However, the economics remain challenging: the market price of recovered lithium and nickel often fluctuates below the cost of extraction from spent cells, pressuring operators to improve efficiency and secure higher volumes.
Battery logistics is attracting capital from multiple fronts. Veolia, Glencore–Li-Cycle, and Umicore have all announced or expanded European facilities to handle black-mass recovery and cathode precursor production. Unlike these vertically integrated recyclers, Ceva is positioning as a logistics-focused intermediary, aiming to consolidate flows from dealerships and end-of-life (ELV) centers before batteries move to specialized refiners.
This intermediary role could help OEMs and insurers reduce liability by outsourcing transport and early-stage dismantling — a critical issue given the fire risks of damaged lithium-ion packs. Yet competition for volumes is likely to intensify as recyclers seek secure feedstock contracts to amortize plant investments.
While demand for circular solutions is clear, execution carries hurdles. Cross-border shipments of hazardous waste require harmonized permits, and member states differ on how they interpret EU rules. Ceva’s distributed network could mitigate bottlenecks by shortening transport distances, but the firm will still need to manage varying national standards on packaging, fire protection, and worker training.
Safety remains another focal point. Incidents involving thermal runaway during storage or transit continue to prompt tighter insurance terms and stricter warehouse design codes. Ceva’s plan to integrate secure vaults and climate-controlled containers indicates awareness of these risks, though success depends on consistent training across all sites.
