# Track Vehicle Batteries Through Recycling

> Ford Motor Company and Everledger launched a six-month battery passport pilot in 2022 in collaboration with Cirba Solutions and Li-Cycle. Various electric vehicle batteries were tracked across their lifecycle using auto-identification technologies and blockchain infrastructure. The initiative aimed to verify responsible end-of-life recycling and document the recovery of critical raw materials.

**Sector:** Secondary sector · **Industry:** Automotive industry · **Organisation:** Ford Motor Company, Everledger, Cirba Solutions, Li-Cycle · **Maturity level:** Pilot

Canonical URL: https://www.sapientblock.com/en/use-cases/ford-motor-company-fahrzeugbatterien-bis-recycling-verfolgen

## Documentation status

- **Project status:** Pilot
- **Evidence:** Evidence medium
- **Editorial review:** pending

## Description

Ford Motor Company tested a digital system for tracking drive batteries up to their material recycling together with Everledger, Cirba Solutions and Li-Cycle. The project closes the gap between the end of vehicle use and the recovery of critical materials such as lithium, nickel and cobalt. In this way, car manufacturers and recycling companies can provide tamper-proof evidence of which raw materials have been returned to the cycle.

As part of the six-month pilot project, Ford and Everledger examined the use of Auto-ID methods and blockchain technology for the end-of-life management of electric vehicle batteries. Both older battery models and the latest generation Ford batteries were tracked through various stages of dismantling and recycling. The specialised recyclers Cirba Solutions and Li-Cycle documented the receipt, dismantling and material processing of the battery packs on the platform. The distributed ledger structure ensures that status changes and quantity balances of the recovered metals are recorded immutably. The initiative serves manufacturers and regulatory authorities as practical preparation for future legal requirements regarding digital product and battery passports.

## Benefits

- More efficient handover and billing processes between vehicle manufacturer and recycler
- Simplified proof of regulatory recycling and recovery quotas
- Transparent proof of closed raw material cycles for critical battery metals
- Legally secure and immutable documentation of the recycling process
- Increased traceability of battery condition at end of use
- Faster access to technical data on battery safety
- Reduced documentation effort through standardised digital status reports

## Challenges

- Integration of proprietary inventory management systems of multiple recyclers into a common platform
- Protection of business-relevant process data while ensuring required transparency
- Need for uniform labelling and data standards across heterogeneous company systems
- Physical durability of identification features over years of vehicle use
- Training requirements for workshop and recycling personnel on new data capture tools

## Technology foundation

The approach combines Auto-ID methods such as barcode and RFID identification with a blockchain-based tracking platform from Everledger. The decentralised data storage enables tamper-proof documentation of battery conditions, ownership changes and dismantling steps across multiple independent organisations.

## Sources

- [Everledger Launches Battery Passport Pilot with Ford](https://everledger.io/everledger-launches-battery-passport-pilot-with-ford/)
- [Electric Vehicle Lithium-Ion Battery Life Cycle Management](https://docs.nrel.gov/docs/fy23osti/84520.pdf)