A lithium-ion battery collection and storage facility has opened in Newport.
The new site has been opened by Bristol-based EcoMove Group on Leeway Industrial Estate following a £250,000 loan from the Development Bank of Wales.
The move is part of a UK-wide expansion strategy for the personal electric transport company which specialises in providing e-scooters, e-bikes and e-mopeds.
The Newport facility will see of launch of Recover, a collection, storage and eventual recycling facility for lithium-ion batteries in the UK.
Banned from landfill, lithium-ion batteries are currently shipped to the EU for recycling.
Working in partnership with RSBruce, a recycling plant in the Midlands, the facility will collect, store and recycle lithium-ion batteries from a wide range of electronics including PEV, laptops and mobiles phones.
It will also be able to recycle consumers’ batteries and provide a commercial service for third-parties.
With its flagship store in Bristol, EcoMove is also looking to open a second hub outlet in Cardiff offering sales, servicing, test rides and trade-ins.
Teddy Thompson, who co-founded EcoMove in 2019 with John Dorman, said: “Wales is an obvious move for us as we expand from Bristol to scale-up and take advantage of the growing demand for affordable PEVs and subsequent need for convenient and safe battery recycling.”
He added: “By opening up our Newport facility and carrying out ADR approved collections, we meet this demand and can ensure that the batteries are stored and recycled correctly.”
Stephen Galvin of the Development Bank of Wales said: “The team at EcoMove is on a mission to bring two-wheel green electric transport to the mainstream UK market and develop their own battery collection, storage and recycling facility here in Wales. It is an exciting business operating in a growing sector; providing cleaner, quieter and more sustainable transport opportunities.”
He added: “It’s a great example of how we can attract and support the emerging green industries; creating jobs and helping to reduce carbon footprint with investment in green technology.”
The loan came from the £204m Wales Business Fund which is financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the Welsh Government.
