BMW is expanding an innovative process for reclaiming and reusing EV raw materials in building a brand-new €10 million ($10.4 million) cell recycling center. The new German plant will work to radically slash costs in building EVs and push the company closer to a closed-loop battery cell production.

BMW is developing what it calls “direct recycling,” where recovered raw materials aren’t reverted to their original state but rather fed back into the cell production cycle at BMW’s battery cell competence centers. The method replaces energy-intensive chemical and thermal processing methods and gives BMW quick access to pricey raw materials – lithium, cobalt, as well as graphite, manganese, nickel, and copper – saving money and time to get these materials back into use.

The direct recycling method involves discharging batteries before opening the battery cell cans and removing the electrode. Then after the electrodes dry, they are shredded, separating the active material from the conducting foils, which can then be regenerated and processed further.

The method was developed by BMW Group scientists at similar centers in Munich and Parsdorf, Germany, but with the new factory, it will be implemented on a larger scale. Once the processes are finalized, battery cell material in the mid-double-digit tonne range can be recycled per year, the company stated.

The new recycling center will be built in Kirchroth, in the Straubing-Bogen district of Lower Bavaria. Installation work at the building is already scheduled to begin in the second half of 2025. Once completed, validation of the recycling method in near-series processes will get underway, BMW stated.

Read more:
BMW is now filling up its new diesel cars with vegetable oil

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Archer Aviation announced it has completed construction of a new 400,000 square-foot eVTOL manufacturing facility in Georgia and is already implementing tooling to begin building its proprietary Midnight aircraft in early 2025. Longtime partner Stellantis assisted in the development of the new facility, and Archer will look to the global OEM to help it scale eVTOL production in the US through the end of the decade.

Archer ($ACHR) is a Santa Clara, California-based aviation developer that specializes in the design and development of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, particularly for use in urban air mobility (UAM) networks such as air taxi services.

We followed the company for years now, as it has established new partnerships with companies all over the world to develop and implement networks of sustainable air travel using its flagship Midnight eVTOL aircraft. One of Archer’s long-standing partners has been Stellantis, which signed an agreement to become the exclusive manufacturer of Archer’s eVTOL technology at a new facility erected in the US. More specifically, Covington, Georgia.

During the time of the January 2023 assembly plant announcement, Stellantis shared it would provide Archer with up to $150 million in equity capital to use at its discretion through 2024, subject to achieving certain business milestones this year.

The following June, Archer and Stellantis shared a progress update that included renderings of the pending eVTOL facility,  which was underway across roughly 100 acres in Georgia. Archer and Stellantis also shared plans to leverage their respective strengths – eVTOL design and development and high-volume vehicle manufacturing, respectively – to rapidly scale US production and achieve local UAM commercialization.

By August 2023, Archer shared that it had secured an additional $215 million equity investment, led by Stellantis, but also included other notable companies like Boeing, United, and ARK Invest. Since then, Archer’s Midnight eVTOL has been awarded a Special Airworthiness Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration, meaning the aircraft meets all FAA safety requirements to begin flight tests.

Today, Archer announced its new facility has completed construction and eVTOL production is right around the corner in early 2025. That being said, the initial rollout will be small at first and the aviation specialist will once again look to Stellantis to help it scale its operation.

Archer’s eVTOL plant is complete, production to begin soon

This morning, Archer Aviation confirmed its eVTOL aircraft manufacturing facility, which it calls “ARC,” has completed construction, and the company has received a certificate of occupancy to begin its operations in Georgia near the Covington Municipal Airport.

Following a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Archer says it has already begun its tooling load-in to begin initial Midnight eVTOL manufacturing, which is expected to commence early next year. Although Archer now has a 400,000 sq. ft home in Georgia, its initial eVTOL production goals will be small as it looks to evaluate its practices before scaling.

The company’s current goal is to ramp production to two aircraft per month by the end of 2025. That translates to about 15 to 24 builds next year. Archer founder and CEO Adam Goldstein spoke about the company’s eVTOL production milestone:

The completion of this facility is a testament to the state of the industry—shifting from R&D into commercialization. With construction on ARC now complete, our team is focused on the start of production planned for early next year. From there, it’s all about execution and scaling. I’m incredibly proud of the Archer team and our partners for getting this done so fast and on budget and can’t wait to see our facility begin producing aircraft.

Archer credits its partner Stellantis with helping it get this far and expects that business relationship to grow as scaled Midnight eVTOL production moves closer than ever to fruition. Looking ahead, Archer said Stellantis will continue to contribute capital, advanced manufacturing technology, production expertise, and experienced personnel to help eVTOL production grow. The goal is to scale the facility to 650 aircraft annually by 2030.

That being said, Archer and Stellantis are still finalizing the agreement announced in 2023 that would give the latter exclusive contract manufacturing rights to produce the Midnight eVTOLs. Per previous partnership announcements, Archer’s Midnight eVTOL has a growing order book for air taxi networks worldwide, so the faster it can scale its US manufacturing, the better.

California finally got its act together this month, rolling out an electric bike incentive program yesterday that had been in the works for years. But while the noble program was designed to help low-income riders afford a sustainable, independent form of longer-range transportation, it was exhausted in less than an hour and left many more people frustrated with its inaccessibility.

The program began its initial round with a US $3 million budget, enough for around 1,500 e-bike vouchers. The application opened Wednesday night at 6:00 PM, with widely-anticipated high demand for the relatively few vouchers.

But as several state residents soon bemoaned, even with advanced preparations made before the application opened, it was nearly impossible to finish the application in time.

Several Electrek readers reached out to share their experiences. Some indicated that they found the online application unresponsive as little as 16 minutes after the application window opened, though in actuality, it very well could have been closed even quicker considering the wide demand for the limited number of vouchers.

“I have been an avid bike rider for 30 years, I live on a fixed income (I did public and non-profits of various sorts for my career), and fit the lowest income bracket for qualification for the rebate,” explained one reader.

“I, like many, waited a year or more for California to finally get this going. Tonight was the night. I prepared myself in advance, income verification, drivers license, watched the videos, got online an hour before the opening bell, and then was automatically put in the queue. After 45 minutes it was over, and the application window was closed.”

The program organizers claim that there is another US $4.5 million in funding remaining, or enough for around 2,300 more vouchers. But there is no confirmation regarding details on future rounds of vouchers, nor an indication of when such rounds could open.

“I’m glad there was so much interest, and because of this hopefully more people will be on bikes on the road. But I have to say, for all its hype, this ‘event’ was a little demeaning and a real letdown for me, as I’m sure for probably many other deserving folks out there. It’s simply ridiculous to have 1,500 or so vouchers available in a state of 40 million people, putting us all in a lottery that ends almost before it started.”

Electrek’s Take

I want to start by saying that I’m incredibly supportive of this initiative and any others like it. Public funding absolutely should be used to benefit the public, and e-bikes have been proven to benefit society in so many ways. Not only are they a major leg up in transportation independence and health improvements for e-bike owners, but they benefit everyone by helping replace cars from the road, reducing traffic, and making an impact in the amount of air pollution in our cities.

However, considering California had years to get this right, it seems like the program left a lot to be desired. I know money doesn’t grow on trees, but California is the richest state in the country and has a state budget of over US $300 billion. I think we can find a little more change under the couch cushions to help some folks achieve transportation independence. With the massive budget available to California legislators, 1,500 of these vouchers feels like a drop in the bucket.

Making matters worse is that these programs are often designed in a way that the fastest fingers win. If you can fill out the application quickly enough at the precise minute and second it opens, you just might have a chance at getting an elusive voucher. If your fingers aren’t as spry as an 18-year-old’s, then tough luck. We’ve seen how Denver’s popular program can literally run out of vouchers in just 60 seconds each time a new round is opened. As an Electrek reader pointed out in a comment on my last article about the California incentive program, “Mad rushes can be avoided if they open up the applications year round and have a lottery system every X months.” While that doesn’t solve the scarcity issue, it certainly seems like a fairer method than a 40 million-way sprint to the submit button.

There’s a lot to like about these programs, and they should be replicated far and wide as they have a much bigger impact on more lives than electric car tax rebates. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t still significant room for improvement.