Mexico EV battery recycling infrastructure, Digi Mart USA News: Mexico faces the challenge of expanding its capacity to recycle electric vehicle batteries as electromobility advances, while the automotive industry seeks new investment, greater energy supply and adaptation to environmental requirements.
Ana Lilia Cortés, circular economy manager at Veolia Mexico, said during a roundtable with automotive industry representatives on Wednesday that no company in the country can fully process an electric battery.
“This entire process of recycling a battery does not currently exist as a company in Mexico. There may be some working on part of the chain, but not as such; it is still being developed,” she said.
Cortés revealed that the French multinational Veolia is studying the development of EV battery recycling processes in the country, due to the lack of capacity to recover metals and the expected rise in such waste in coming years. She added that the company is evaluating business models but still needs sufficient volumes of used batteries and contracts to justify an investment.
According to the executive, partial recycling operations exist, but a complete national chain that allows batteries to be dismantled and materials such as lithium, nickel and cobalt to be recovered is lacking. She noted that part of this waste is currently shipped to other countries, including the United States, to complete its treatment.
The Institutional Lithium Program for Mexico 2026-2030 acknowledges that battery recycling infrastructure is still limited and that available volumes make new plants difficult to make profitable.
Participants estimated that more than 80% of the materials in a car are technically recoverable, including steel, copper and other components of main interest to the sector. However, they clarified that they do not have a figure on how much is actually recovered in Mexico, where informality and infrastructure problems persist.
The challenge comes as the electromobility chain counts 495 companies in more than 25 Mexican states, according to a 2026 sector mapping.
Omar Martínez, original equipment and aftermarket team manager at the National Auto Parts Industry (INA), argued that electrification also opens opportunities for traditional component manufacturers to diversify into battery casings and electrical connections, although these require investment and new capabilities.
Regulatory changes are also underway. The draft standard PROY-NOM-160-SEMARNAT-2026 seeks to strengthen hazardous waste management plans, with more information on origin, volume, reduction and disposal.
Cortés warned that this level of detail could increase the administrative tasks of plants.
On the energy front, Gabriela Montemayor, energy business development manager at Veolia Mexico, highlighted self-consumption and cogeneration options for electricity and heat for automotive suppliers, especially where supply constraints exist. Mexican regulation provides for an interconnected self-supply permit scheme for installations between 0.7 and 20 megawatts.
Montemayor said each project must be sized to its needs to avoid unprofitable investments and to identify the energy types most viable for its operations and processes.
Elisa Crespo, executive president of the Metropolitan Automotive Cluster, stressed that expanding material recovery requires investment, technology and greater formalization.
