Called 'Battery 3R' which stands for Reduce, Rebuilt/Reuse, and RecycleAims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035

Toyota has announced its plans to reinstitute the batteries of its old electrified cars which have reached the end of their service life. The Japanese carmaker’s aim of subjecting these old hybrid car batteries through the ‘Battery 3R’ program is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035.

This circularity plan will give a second life to the hybrid batteries in either automotive or non-automotive applications. When it is determined that the said batteries have reached their end-of-life stage, the company will recycle them in a way that mitigates the CO2 emission and allows as much material as possible to be used as stock feed for new battery production.

In collaboration with various partners across the world, the ‘Battery 3R’ is part of a broader environmental strategy that Toyota is employing around the globe. Initially, the 3R will be implemented in five regions – Japan, the U.S., Europe, China, and Asia.

Given that Toyota’s early hybrid cars like the Prius have already completed 20 years, the batteries discarded from such cars will need proper disposal. This initiative will allow the carmaker to not only reuse a part of the older batteries, and reduce the cost of the newer batteries; it will also allow the development of new batteries which comply with the new chemistries that allow the integration of reused parts. The older batteries will not only benefit pure EVs but also HEVs, PHEVs and FCEVs. Lastly, Toyota will also develop a stationary storage battery system for these used electrified vehicle storage batteries.