Hyundai, Genesis EV Batteries to Be Recycled in Quebec by Lithion

Hyundai Canada has officially announced a partnership with Quebec-based Lithion for the collection of electric vehicle batteries and modules for recycling.

This new, multi-year agreement follows an initial agreement between the two companies signed in 2021, which was aimed at validating Lithion’s unique extraction solution technology that recovers as much as 98 percent of the minerals contained in batteries.  

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Hyundai currently sells six different EV models including the Kona Electric, IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6, as well as the Genesis GV60, Electrified GV70 and Electrified G80. Another, the IONIQ 9 three-row SUV, will launch in 2025. Let’s not forget the Tucson PHEV, a plug-in hybrid SUV that also features a high-voltage battery.

Through this strategic partnership, over 250 Hyundai and Genesis dealers and distributors across the country can now contact Lithion when in possession of a vehicle with a battery at the end of its lifecycle. Lithion will then have the battery delivered to their recently inaugurated recycling plant in Saint-Bruno near Montreal.

The Korean automaker will also benefit from Lithion’s unique expertise in battery management, from logistics and collection to dismantling, to achieve recycling in the safest way and shortest possible time.     

“As a leader in the transition towards electrification, it is important for us to ensure that the electric vehicles we sell into the market have the lowest carbon footprint as possible,” said Ken Maisonville, executive director of customer experience and aftersales at Hyundai Auto Canada. “This partnership with Lithion allows us to ensure optimal recycling of our batteries, all while doing business with a Canadian company.”

Since the completion of its first commercial plant for the extraction of critical minerals from lithium-ion batteries in June 2024, Lithion’s commercial activities have progressed significantly with the signing of several multi-year battery feedstock agreements such as this one.

Back in September 2022, General Motors, through its GM Ventures investment arm, contributed to Lithion’s Series A financing round, supporting a new GM-Lithion partnership agreement to pursue a circular battery ecosystem using Lithion’s advanced battery recycling technology.