Battery Waste Management and Disposal

Battery Waste Management and Disposal

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFC), Government of India, has issued a notification on rules for battery waste management in view of the shift to electric vehicles. Anticipating a need to have an organised channel for the safe disposal and recycling of batteries, the rules, called the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022, are applicable to the producer, dealer, consumer, entities involved in collection, segregation, transportation, refurbishment and recycling of waste batteries. 

All types of batteries, regardless of their chemistry, shape, volume, weight, material composition and use are covered under the rules. The rules also have a provision for penal action in case of a violation and imposition of environmental compensation. The ministry has also set a minimum recovery percentage target for recovered materials out of dry weight batteries. 

The recovered materials will be then used to produce new batteries. For FY2024-25, the recovery target is set at 70 percent whereas for FY2025-26, it is 80 percent. The target for FY2026-27 is 90 percent. Mentioning that the recovery target may be reviewed by the committee once every four years to revisit the minimum levels of recovered battery materials in light of technical and scientific progress and emerging new technologies in waste management, the notification is expected to contribute towards enhancing each and every EV’s cost to the environment in India. This is especially in connection with the fact that nearly 1.4 million EVs as of July 2022 are said to operate in India if the data shared by the ministry of road transport and highways is relied upon. More than half of this volume is claimed to consist of electric three-wheelers followed by two-wheelers and passenger cars. 

The PLI scheme and other policy changes in terms of manufacture and sale of electric vehicles, it is clear that a strong battery ELV and disposal policy has to be in place. From the cost to the environment point of view, a policy extension in terms of the manufacture of such batteries locally down to the fuel cell level should also taking into view the ability of the battery to perform efficiently through out its lifecycle, thus staying alive for longer and when it does die, it should be recyclable to a great extent. 

Dr Akshay Singhal, Founder and CEO of Log9 Materials, averred. “The newly introduced Battery Waste Management standards by the Government under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) concept addresses two important concerns. An efficient and effective waste management of all Li-Ion batteries that are nearing the end of their useful life and are expected to end up in landfills in a few years, avoiding any residual pollution impact. Second is the emphasis on investing in and nurturing the recycling of such used batteries, reducing the reliance on fresh resource mining.” 

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Shubham Vishvakarma, CEO and Chief of Process Engineering of Metastable Materials, said, “The Battery Waste Management Rules announced by the Government of India is an excellent and much-needed step towards bringing to the fore innovations and myriad growth opportunities for the battery waste management and battery treatment space in our country, especially at a time when the ongoing EV boom in India is leading us to increasing concerns on e-waste.” “Under the new Rules notified, the Government has mandated a minimum percentage of recovery of various materials from end-of-life batteries, which is bound to enable the growth of novel business models such as urban mining in order to reduce India’s foreign dependency on procuring raw materials for EV batteries and other types of batteries,” he added. 

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Ashok Sudrik, Chief Scientist, Infinite Orbit Research and Development Pvt Ltd, commented, “The Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022, were much needed and we are happy that government has started taking cognizance of the hazardous waste being created and the recycling or waste collection. Other than waste management recycling rules, there is a need for manufacturers to incorporate extension of battery life technologies, keep the lithium content minimal and develop innovative cell chemistry. The life of a battery should be 4000 to 6000 cycles, which means a life spane of about 10 to 15 years. BaaS (Battery as a Service) concept with swappable batteries will be a big contributor to the ultimate goal of keeping cost to the environment low.”

In other parts of the world

In Canada, Li-Cycle will begin constructing a USD 175 million plant in Rochester, N.Y., for recycling of lithium-ion batteries. On the grounds of what used to be the Eastman Kodak complex, the plant will be the largest of its kind in North America with an eventual capacity of 25 metric kilotons of input material and a capability to recover 95 percent or more of cobalt, nickel, lithium and other valuable elements through zero-wastewater, zero-emissions process. Ajay Kochhar, Co-founder and CEO, Li-Cycle, said, “We'll be one of the largest domestic sources of nickel and lithium, as well as the only source of cobalt in the United States."  

In May 2022, Hydrovolt, the largest battery recycling plant in Europe started operations in Fredrikstad, Norway. A joint venture between two Norwegian companies – Hydro and Northvolt, the plant has the capacity to process 12,000 tonnes of battery packs per year, enough for the entire end-of-life battery market in Norway currently. Claimed to have the capability to recover 95 percent of the materials used in an EV battery including plastics, copper, aluminum and ‘black mass’, a powder containing various elements inside lithium-ion batteries like nickel, manganese, cobalt and lithium. 

Not just in Europe or US, the rise of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and associated battery gigafactories is pushing forward the creation of a battery recycling value chain. It is a matter of debate whether it got to be a close-loop or an open-loop design in terms of sourcing of batteries to recycle and to put the resulting material to good use so that the cost to the environment is kept minimal. As the demand for use of ‘green’ electricity source gathers pace the world over, on the other end of the spectrum, which involved the end-of-life vehicle for EVs, the demand for recycling in increasing partly due to regulations – the EU regulations have just intensified – and partly by a demand for re-use of materials due to geo-political reasons as well. A strong desire to localise supply chains and safeguard critical raw materials are also the driving factors.  

Elektrobit And Mobileye Integrate Linux OS Into Level 4 Autonomous System

Elektrobit - Mobileye

Elektrobit and Mobileye have announced the integration of EB corbos Linux for Safety Applications into Mobileye Drive, a system designed for Level 4 autonomous driving. The platform will serve as the technical foundation for vehicle manufacturers and robotaxi vendors.

The collaboration utilises Elektrobit’s safety-compliant operating system (OS) to provide features and field updates for Mobileye’s self-driving architecture.

EB corbos Linux for Safety Applications is an open-source OS solution assessed for compliance with automotive functional safety standards. It has received a technical assessment for ASIL B and SIL2 by TUV Nord, based on ISO 26262 and IEC 61508 standards.

The solution allows manufacturers to use Linux in high-performance computing (HPC) domains, specifically for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles (AV). By utilising open-source software, the companies aim to leverage transparency and innovation speed compared to proprietary systems.

Mobileye Drive is designed to automate vehicle types for applications including ride-pooling, public transport, and goods delivery. The system is powered by the EyeQ System-on-Chip (SoC) and utilises AI-driven computation.

The technology is intended for operation without human intervention within defined areas. Mobileye Drive is currently undergoing testing in locations across Europe and North America, drawing on the company's deployment history in approximately 230 million vehicles globally.

Maria Anhalt, CEO, Elektrobit, said, “Our industry is at a pivotal moment, with carmakers, Tier1 suppliers, and technology companies increasingly joining forces to advance autonomous driving. Working with Mobileye and opening up our cooperation on EB corbos Linux for Safety Applications reflects our commitment to practical, safe, and scalable innovation. Together, we are helping pave the way for the next generation of reliable autonomous driving systems”

Johann ‘JJ’ Jungwirth, Executive Vice-President Autonomous Vehicles, Mobileye, added, “Working together with software innovators in the automotive field like Elektrobit is a key factor in expediting the mass-production of vehicles equipped with the self-driving system Mobileye Drive. Our customers expect to deploy AVs in large numbers in the upcoming years, increasing the importance of system stability and reliability.”

Hexagon Design & Engineering

Cadence Design Systems, Inc. has finalised its acquisition of Hexagon AB’s Design and Engineering (D&E) business. The EUR 2.7 billion transaction was funded through 70 percent cash and 30 percent Cadence common stock.

The acquisition incorporates Hexagon D&E’s MSC Software solutions, including MSC Nastran and Adams, into the Cadence System Design and Analysis (SDA) portfolio. The integration combines structural analysis, acoustics and multibody dynamics with Cadence’s existing technologies in electronics, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and BETA CAE structural processing.

Cadence aims to utilise the combined portfolio to address the Physical AI market. By coupling physics-based simulation with AI design tools, the company intends to provide platforms for creating virtual representations of systems. These tools are designed to predict system behaviour in conditions involving motion, vibration, and fluid-structure interactions.

Key components of the integrated platform include:

  • Structural Analysis: MSC Nastran for finite element analysis.
  • Multibody Dynamics: Adams for mechanical system simulation.
  • Electronics and CFD: Existing Cadence portfolios for electromagnetic and fluid flow analysis.
  • Pre/Post Processing: BETA CAE technologies for data preparation and validation.

The combined data generated from these simulations will be used to train and validate AI models for applications in robotics, autonomous systems and transportation.

Cadence expects the acquired business to contribute an incremental USD 160 million to its 2026 revenue. On a non-GAAP basis, the transaction is anticipated to be approximately 28 cents dilutive to 2026 earnings per share, with the company projecting the acquisition to become accretive in 2027.

Anirudh Devgan, President and CEO, Cadence, said, “This acquisition marks a major milestone in advancing our vision for intelligent system design. By combining our industry-leading computational software and AI-driven design expertise with MSC Software’s world-class structural and physics-based analysis technologies, we’re empowering customers to push the boundaries of what’s possible – from autonomous systems and advanced robotics to the future of transportation.”

Dell Technologies Extends Partnership As Official Innovation Partner For McLaren Racing

McLaren - Dell Technologies

Dell Technologies and McLaren Racing have extended their partnership, continuing Dell’s role as the Official Innovation Partner for the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team. The collaboration focuses on the use of AI infrastructure and hardware to support car development and trackside operations.

The partnership, which began in 2018, has integrated Dell’s technology into McLaren’s design, engineering and race-day decision-making processes. This infrastructure supported McLaren during its Constructors’ Championship titles in 2024 and 2025, as well as its Drivers’ Championship win in 2025.

McLaren utilises the Dell AI Factory, including PowerEdge servers, to process 1.5 terabytes of data during a race weekend. This setup allows the team to run simulations and maintain digital twins of the cars to refine race strategies. The system monitors variables such as hydraulic changes and track conditions in real time.

To manage data-intensive workloads, including Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and modelling, the team employs PowerStore and PowerScale storage solutions. This allows for the scaling of data infrastructure to meet the demands of high-performance computing.

Dell PCs are used across the organisation for collaboration and data access between the factory and the racetrack. Engineers and strategists use AI-optimised PCs to manage workflows and support driving simulation systems used for driver training. Additionally, Alienware systems power the McLaren F1 Sim Racing Team.

Zak Brown, chief executive officer, McLaren Racing, said, “Our work with Dell Technologies has become a natural part of how we operate as a Formula 1 team. Their support strengthens the way we work across the organisation, helping us stay agile and competitive in a sport where every detail matters. Extending this relationship reflects the confidence we have in what we can achieve together.”

Gerri Tunnell, Chief Marketing Officer, Dell Technologies, said, “The relationship between Dell Technologies and McLaren Racing showcases what’s possible when two organisations are dedicated to pushing boundaries. Dell’s solutions are a catalyst for human progress. With McLaren, we’re demonstrating how the combination of powerful technology and human ingenuity can deliver real competitive advantages in high-stakes environments - an approach that inspires innovation across industries worldwide.”

Pascal Daloz Succeeds Bernard Charles As Chairman & CEO Of Dassault Systemes

Dassault Systemes

Dassault Systemes has announced that Bernard Charles has stepped down as Executive Chairman and member of the Board of Directors for personal reasons, effective immediately.

The Board has unanimously appointed Pascal Daloz, the company’s current Chief Executive Officer, to the dual role of Chairman and CEO. The transition, effective from 21 February 2026, follows the recommendation of the Compensation and Nomination Committee.

Charles, a Co-Founder who has been with the company for 40 years, led Dassault Systemes through six generations of industry transformation. While stepping down from his formal duties, Charles will remain available to the company to assist in the adoption of ‘3D UNIV+RSES’ powered by artificial intelligence.

Daloz, who has worked with Charles for 25 years, will now lead the company's ‘Gen7’ strategy. This phase focuses on industrial AI and generative economy solutions within the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

Key Strategic Focus Areas:

Industrial AI: Integration of artificial intelligence into 3D design and simulation.

Generative Economy: Redefining industry innovation and competition.

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM): Maintaining market leadership in digital twin and PLM technologies.

Pascal Daloz, said, “I am honored to succeed Bernard Charles as Chairman of Dassault Systemes, in addition to my mission as CEO. I would like to thank Bernard for his trust, his unwavering support and his inspiration. We share the same vision: pushing the boundaries of science and imagination to change the lives of consumers, patients and citizens - bringing "virtual worlds to real life". We also share a common conviction about the plan required to turn that vision into reality. As Co-Founder and CEO, Bernard guided our company from a startup to a world leader. The inspiration behind Dassault Systemes' leading technologies, he has instilled a culture of ongoing innovation within our organization. He has helped transform industries for a more sustainable world. I thank Bernard for his offer to remain available to help us accelerate the adoption of 3D UNIV+RSES powered by AI. Our ambition is clear: to lead the transformation powered by Industrial AI through 3D UNIV+RSES. This is a long-term commitment to further redefine how industries innovate, operate and compete in the Generative Economy. I am committed to ensuring that Dassault Systemes retains the freedom needed to remain a game-changer and to accelerating growth.”

Bernard Charles, commented, “I have requested to be released, for personal reasons, from my duties as Executive Chairman of the Board of Dassault Systemes. As Co-Founder of our company, alongside Charles Edelstenne, I am truly pleased that Pascal Daloz succeeds me in this role. Pascal and I have worked side by side for 25 years, and he has my full confidence to both lead the company and organize the Board's work. This decision reflects the enduring continuity of the company’s governance, which is a major source of trust for our large clients around the world. I am firmly convinced that this new configuration creates the strongest conditions for the continued and successful development of Dassault Systemes. I love and am deeply proud of Dassault Systemes - its people, its teams, its customers, its purpose and values and what we build together. I am, at heart, a product and technology leader; this is my passion. I will remain fully available to the company to accelerate the adoption of 3D UNIV+RSES. Over the past 40 years, I have driven six generations of industry transformations, leading cutting-edge product innovation. “Gen7” is now well defined and architected. Pascal and his remarkable team will drive further this tremendous heritage for the success of our clients, partners and shareholders.”