Piaggio Ape E-City battery recycling in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu
Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu does not take whole packs. It receives black mass made from Piaggio Ape E-City modules that failed grading, and turns it into battery-grade salts.
Pack value at 80% SOH
256 USD
Hybrid Split
Second-life share
56%
At 80% SOH
Site capacity
32,000 TPA
Hydrometallurgical Refinery
Cities served
10
From Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu
Where a Piaggio Ape E-City pack goes from Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu
- 1
Collected via Zaheerabad, Telangana
Whole packs enter the network at Hyderabad — Zaheerabad Recovery Campus, 581 km away, where they are weighed and de-energised.
- 2
Graded at Hosur, Tamil Nadu
Modules travel 230 km to Bengaluru — Hosur Diagnostics Centre for capacity, resistance and impedance testing across all 4 modules.
- 3
Second life at Butibori, Maharashtra
At 80% SOH about 56% of the pack qualifies for reuse and goes to Nagpur — Butibori Second-Life Works (893 km). Excellent — long calendar life makes LFP the preferred feedstock for stationary BESS repurposing.
- 4
Refining at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu
Black mass from failed modules is leached and refined here into battery-grade lithium salts.
| Stage | Facility | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Nearest intake yard | Hyderabad — Zaheerabad Recovery Campus | 581 km |
| Nearest grading bench | Bengaluru — Hosur Diagnostics Centre | 230 km |
| Nearest second-life works | Nagpur — Butibori Second-Life Works | 893 km |
Faster option
Inside the Piaggio Ape E-City battery
The Piaggio Ape E-City (2021) carries a 8 kWh LFP Prismatic (LiFePO4) pack with 4 modules at 60 V, weighing roughly 59 kg. Cobalt-free prismatic chemistry dominant in Indian passenger EVs and commercial fleets. Low black mass value, exceptional second-life economics.
| Service year | SOH | Grade | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 2 | 96.8% | A — BESS ready | USD 422 |
| Year 4 | 93.7% | A — BESS ready | USD 409 |
| Year 6 | 90.6% | A — BESS ready | USD 396 |
| Year 8 | 87.5% | A — BESS ready | USD 383 |
| Year 10 | 84.4% | B — Second life | USD 336 |
What the chemistry means here
How it ages
LFP fades slowly and fairly linearly for most of its life. Capacity loss is driven mainly by lithium inventory being locked up in the SEI layer on the graphite anode, while the cathode structure stays largely intact.
Thermal behaviour
LFP's olivine cathode holds its oxygen tightly, so thermal runaway typically starts at higher temperatures than nickel-rich cells and releases noticeably less heat. It is not inert: a failing LFP cell still vents flammable electrolyte vapour and hydrogen, and large prismatic cans store a lot of energy in one place.
Handling LFP Prismatic
Collecting a Piaggio Ape E-City pack
8 kWh, 4 modules, about 59 kg — this is how the Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu team plans the job.
Removal
Packs are removed from the under-seat or rear bay; high-cycle fleet packs are checked for water ingress first.
Packaging
Packs are palletised in small groups inside UN-rated boxes, with dividers between units.
Consolidation
Fleet depots and dealer service points are scheduled as recurring milk runs rather than one-off pickups.
Before the truck arrives
- Check for corrosion and water ingress in the pack bay
- Flag any aftermarket or repaired packs on the manifest
- Tape terminals and remove quick-connect plugs
- Group packs by chemistry before collection
Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu site notes
- Whole packs are not accepted; route them through a grading or integrated campus first and the black mass will follow.
- Black mass must arrive in sealed, labelled bulk bags with an assay report or at least a declared chemistry.
- Deliveries are scheduled against SEZ gate windows, and imported material needs customs paperwork before arrival.
- Moisture above the agreed limit is recorded at the weighbridge and reflected in settlement.
What this pack yields
lithium
0.59 kg
nickel
0 kg
cobalt
0 kg
manganese
0 kg
copper
1.79 kg
aluminium
2.14 kg
Refining-route estimate at 80% SOH. Measured module health on the bench sets the final split.
Rules in India
Battery Waste Management Rules 2022 (BWMR)
Regulator: Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and State Pollution Control Boards
The refinery is permitted by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, with effluent, air emission and hazardous-chemical conditions typical of acid-leaching plants. As a registered recycler under the Battery Waste Management Rules 2022, it generates the recovery evidence that producers file on the CPCB EPR portal. Its SEZ location adds customs controls on any imported feed or exported product.
Piaggio Ape E-City in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu: common questions
Can I drop off a Piaggio Ape E-City battery at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu?
Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu is a hydrometallurgical refinery and does not accept whole packs from customers. Book a collection and the pack enters the network at Zaheerabad, Telangana, 581 km away.
What happens to Piaggio Ape E-City modules after Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu?
Collected via Zaheerabad, Telangana, then Graded at Hosur, Tamil Nadu, then Second life at Butibori, Maharashtra, then Refining at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. At 80% SOH roughly 56% of the pack goes to second life and the rest is refined.
How should a Piaggio Ape E-City pack be prepared for pickup?
Check for corrosion and water ingress in the pack bay. Flag any aftermarket or repaired packs on the manifest. Tape terminals and remove quick-connect plugs. Group packs by chemistry before collection.
Which rules apply to Piaggio Ape E-City recycling in India?
Battery Waste Management Rules 2022 (BWMR), overseen by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and State Pollution Control Boards. Retired packs move as hazardous goods by road under central motor vehicle rules, and export needs Basel-compliant permissions.
Cities collected by Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu
Piaggio Ape E-City at other sites
Other three-wheeler packs at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu
Retiring Piaggio Ape E-City packs near Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu?
Share pack counts and condition. The despatch desk confirms a collection window within one working day and sends the right packaging.