The eSkootr championship™ and Umicore to recycle S1-X electric scooter batteries
As part of the eSkootr Championship’s (eSC) commitment to offer a future net-zero carbon racing series, every battery used to power the S1-X scooters will be recycled by world-leading materials technology and recycling group, Umicore. Additionally Umicore will work closely with the eSC technical and sustainability team to enable sustainable circular design of the next generation batteries.
Umicore was the first organization to join eSC as a Global Sustainability Partner in 2021 and will be responsible for recycling the Williams Advance Engineering battery. Once the battery has been disposed of by the eSC team, Umicore will recover the valuable metals, using its cutting edge proprietary industrial processes, returning the metals to their purest form and converting them into active cathode materials for the production of new rechargeable next generation batteries.
During the recycling process, Umicore handles the batteries with care, ensuring not to crush or shred the cells, to guard its operators and the environment from exposure to hazardous battery compounds. Umicore's technology also works to minimise energy consumption and treat potentially harmful gases.
The metals used in these batteries are infinitely recyclable, meaning Umicore offers a closed loop, circular, approach, making this process a sustainable way of looping metals back into the value chain.
Talking about the Global Sustainability partnership with Umicore, Hrag Sarkissian, eSkootr™ Championship co-founder and CEO, said:
“To achieve our mission of becoming the World’s most sustainable racing series, we have partnered with environmental industry leaders, such as Umicore who are pioneers of best practice in the recycling of electric vehicle batteries.
“Our battery is a crucial and uniquely designed element in our electric racing series, and by providing a closed loop life cycle where battery materials are recycled and reused infinite amounts of times we can responsibly reduce our waste and carbon footprint.
“But we also want eSC to become an innovation lab with real world relevance. By working with Umicore, we see our approach to battery recycling offering insights which can benefit micromobility products and services around the world.”
Tom Van Bellinghen, VP Marketing and Sales OEM, said:
"As part of our sustainability partnership, Umicore and eSC aim to promote micro-mobility as one of the opportunities to address emissions and improve air quality in cities. A circular design as well as the recycling of the vehicle batteries will be key elements to create long-term sustainable solutions. We will use our metals recovery expertise to recycle the eSC Championship's e-scooter batteries in an environmentally friendly way. We are proud to partner with a like-minded eSC, a new and exciting future-oriented championship, with whom we share the firm commitment to become carbon neutral."
About eSkootr Championship™
eSC is a brand-new category of sport with the championship’s first races taking place in 2022. It will be accessible to all and promote the use of sustainable micromobility transportation in urban areas. Riders will race a specially designed eSkootr the S1-X, which has been developed by Ycom and Williams Advanced Engineering and can reach speeds of 100 km/h, on specially designed inner-city circuits.
For more information, please visit www.esc.live