Why Zwickau matters
VW's first all-electric assembly plant. Active names in and around the city include Volkswagen.
Manufacturing clusters generate production scrap and off-spec cells during line ramp-up, warranty returns from early vehicles, and validation packs from test tracks. The material is usually single-chemistry and well documented, which makes it some of the cleanest feed in the network.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Serving site | Stuttgart — Baden-Wurttemberg Grading Works (Cell Grading & Diagnostics) |
| Pickup SLA | 48 hours |
| Coverage radius | 160 km |
| Collection cadence | Weekly or fortnightly scheduled scrap runs |
| Regulatory framework | EU Battery Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 and national implementing law |
How collection works here
We run scheduled scrap collections from plant gates and tier-one suppliers, with dedicated bins per chemistry and a weighbridge reconciliation against each supplier's scrap log. Off-spec cells that never entered a vehicle are graded separately because their value profile is different from end-of-life packs.
Loads move in Class 9 compliant transport with pre-filled dangerous goods paperwork to Stuttgart, Germany, where they are weighed, logged and graded.
- Cell and pack assembly plants
- Tier-one module suppliers
- Vehicle assembly lines
- Validation and test centres
What the rules require in Germany
The EU Battery Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 applies directly, replacing the old Batteries Directive with extended producer responsibility, collection and material recovery targets, recycled-content rules and, from February 2027, a digital battery passport for EV and larger industrial batteries. Germany implements the regulation through national battery law, with producer registration handled by stiftung ear and treatment sites permitted by the federal states.
Road transport follows ADR, and shipments out of Germany fall under the EU Waste Shipment Regulation.
- Register with stiftung ear before placing batteries on the German market
- Take back automotive and EV batteries free of charge and pass them to certified treatment facilities
- Keep collection and treatment evidence for authority reporting
- Prepare battery passport data for EV batteries placed on the market from February 2027
Field note
What you get paid and what you file
Settlement is quoted per pack after measured state of health, not by guesswork on age. Modules holding 75% or more of rated capacity settle at second-life rates; the remainder settle against black mass metal content.
Certificates carry achieved recovery percentages and downstream vendor disclosure for reporting under EU Battery Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 and national implementing law.