3rd International Zirkular Bat Workshop. The battery life cycle in electromobility: from repairing to recycling
Energy Storage
Date
June 26, 2026
Time
08:30 - 14:30
Location
Naturklima
Organized by
This event is organized by Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa (The Gipuzkoa Provincial Council), Naturklima (Gipuzkoa Provincial Council’s Climate Change Foundation), and CIDETEC Energy Storage.
With the support of BEPA – Batteries European Partnership Association.
Description
- Free registration
- Limited to 120 participants
- Language: English (with simultaneous translation into Spanish)
The transformation of sustainable transport is moving forward strongly, and the circular economy is positioned as the essential driver to guarantee the sector’s competitiveness. On this occasion, the meeting will focus on the challenges and breakthroughs in repair, remanufacturing, and repurposing (second life), as well as the new frontiers of recycling.
We will feature the participation of leading OEMs and industry frontrunners, who will share their key approaches to closing the battery life cycle and leading the industry toward a fully efficient and sustainable model.
Programme
June 26th, 2026
- 08:30 - 09:00
Registration
- 09:00 - 09:20
Institutional opening
GIPUZKOA PROVINCIAL COUNCIL
José Ignacio Asensio – Deputy of Sustainability - 09:20 - 09:45
Battery Circularity – BMW Vision
Franz Geyer – BMW
- 09:45 - 10:10
Reflections on the Repairability and Sustainability of e-Mobility Battery Packs
Vanja Katic & Otto Behrend – EV Clinic
- 10:10 - 10:35
Challenges & Opportunities in EV Battery Remanufacturing
Sanguk Lee & Yohan Kim – POEN Europe
- 10:35 - 11:00
Little Electric Energy: a second life for electric vehicle batteries in circular energy storage (Green Charge Flex)
Rubén Blanco – Little Energy
- 11:00 - 11:30
Coffee Break
- 11:30 - 11:55
Understanding the Global Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Market
Didi Bostock – Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
- 11:55 - 12:20
From Post-Production to Post-Consumer Waste: A Modular Approach to Li-ion Battery Recycling
Maciej Mikulicz – Royal Bees Recycling
- 12:20 - 12:45
Building a circular battery value chain within Europe – Perspective of black mass refiner
Nils Steinbrecher – Cylib
- 12:45 - 13:10
Smart Recovery of Battery Materials: Innovations in Sorting and Automated Dismantling
Ángel Manuel Escamilla Pérez – Leitat
- 13:10 - 13:30
Open discussion
Moderated by:
CIDETEC Energy Storage - 13:30 - 14:30
Networking Lunch
Speakers
Franz Geyer
BMW
Franz Geyer, who holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from TU Dresden, has been the Director of Zero Emission Technologies at BMW since 2004. An expert in decarbonization and electric mobility, he leads the powertrain strategy and sustainable supply chains. His influence extends to key European Union bodies, where he serves as a board member for BEPA and KLIB, and leads the EURAS expert group. With a solid foundation in R&D and strategic partnerships, Geyer is a central figure in the global transition toward emission-neutral transport.Abstract
BMW positions the circular economy as a core strategic pillar, fully integrated across its value chain and aligned with both economic and sustainability KPIs. To support this strategy, BMW operates dedicated recycling facilities and is expanding its infrastructure, including new plants for advanced and battery recycling starting in 2026.
Vanja Katić
EV Clinic
Vanja Katić is the founder and CEO of EV Clinic, a Zagreb-based EV repair and R&D company focused on battery systems, reverse engineering and sustainable repair solutions. He began repairing electronics as a teenager, later studied robotics and automation, and has worked with electric vehicles since 2011. Known for developing in-house diagnostic tools and repair methods, he advocates for an EV aftermarket built on diagnosis, repair and longer vehicle lifecycles.Abstract
In this session, EV Clinic will explore the deeper factors that decide whether an EV battery pack can remain useful, safe and economically viable throughout its life: repairability, modularity, failure diagnosis, mechanical design, sealing, cell architecture and access to technical data. Based on real-world teardown and repair experience, Vanja Katić and Otto Behrend will show why true battery sustainability is not achieved at the recycling plant, but much earlier — in the workshop, through smart diagnostics, targeted repair and designs that keep vehicles on the road instead of sending battery packs to waste.
Otto Behrend
EV Clinic
Otto Behrend is Co-Founder and Managing Director of EV Clinic Berlin / AddCycle, where he works on high-voltage battery diagnostics, repair and remanufacturing for electric vehicles. He is also a researcher at Berliner Hochschule für Technik, with a background in mechatronics and battery measurement technologies. In Berlin, he leads a team focused on making EV repair more scalable, resource-efficient and technically rigorous.Lee Sanguk
POEN Europe
Lee Sanguk serves as the CEO and Sales Director, bringing a specialized technical background with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology). His professional career is marked by a decade of experience in the industrial and automotive sectors. He spent six years at Hyundai Motors, where he focused on Energy New Business Development and Quality & Warranty Policy, followed by four years as a Managing Director at POEN. Additionally, he gained foundational expertise during two years as a Power Plant Engineer at Hyundai Heavy Industries.Through these diverse leadership and engineering roles, he has developed extensive expertise in energy business strategy, quality management, and industrial operations.
Abstract
The circular economy is transforming the electric vehicle sector by focusing on battery remanufacturing to extend service life. Using real-world examples, this presentation explores the technologies, processes, and business models driving this shift, alongside regulatory and market challenges. It offers a practical look at future opportunities and the strategic role of POEN Europe within this evolving sustainable ecosystem.
Kim Yohan
POEN Europe
Kim Yohan serves as the Finance Manager and Sales Assistant, bringing a background in Hotel & Tourism Management with a Bachelor's degree from Sejong University. He has built a robust professional career over six years, specializing in corporate finance and fiscal management. His experience includes a three-year tenure at SEOJIN as an Accounting & Taxation Manager, followed by three years at POEN in his current role as Finance Manager. Throughout his career, he has developed a strong expertise in balancing rigorous financial oversight with strategic sales support.Rubén Blanco
Little Energy
Mr. Rubén Blanco is the CEO of Torgo Corporate, where he leads the development of industrial solutions for electric mobility, energy storage, and the circular economy. Through Little Electric Energy, he spearheads projects dedicated to the advancement of sustainable industrial innovation, including: Battery Second-Life: Driving initiatives for the repurposing and reuse of electric vehicle batteries; Energy Storage Systems (ESS): Overseeing the manufacturing and implementation of advanced storage solutions and Sustainable Integration: Integrating charging and energy solutions rooted in the principles of sustainability and circularity.Abstract
Little Electric Energy will present its expertise in the reuse, diagnosis, sorting and recovery of batteries from electric vehicles for use in energy storage systems. The presentation will explore the potential of second-life batteries as an industrial solution for extending the lifecycle of assets, reducing waste, optimising critical resources and accelerating the integration of renewable energy and electric charging solutions with a lower environmental impact.
Didi Bostock
Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
Didi Bostock brings a wealth of experience from across all research departments at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, spanning downstream demand through to the midstream, mining and recycling sectors. He has advised on consulting projects worth millions of dollars for both government bodies and private companies, delivering expertise across strategic advisory and debt financing.Abstract
In 2025, the global recycling market underwent a major regulatory shift as Europe and India made efforts to restrict the export of black mass, whilst China legalised black mass’ importation. Not only did this influence prices and trade flows, it has also altered the types of commercial arrangements and technologies being developed regionally. This presentation will put forward Benchmark’s perspective on the current global recycling market as well as how we expect it to evolve in 2026 and beyond.
Maciej Mikulicz
Royal Bees Recycling
Maciej Mikulicz leads and advises on circular battery recycling, covering EV batteries, production scrap, and WEEE, as well as the sourcing and trading of critical and precious metals. His work combines field expertise, data-driven materials trading, and technical process optimization, collaborating closely with battery manufacturers, recyclers, and automotive OEMs. He helps organizations reintegrate verified materials into global value chains while ensuring regulatory compliance, ESG alignment, and long-term economic value through circular business models.Abstract
Royal Bees Recycling proposes a modular, feedstock-specific logic, adapting each process line to the material being treated: dry cells, wet cells, modules, black mass, cathode scrap, anode scrap and graphite fractions. This approach combines operational safety, selective material recovery and preservation of industrial value. The company already has experience and processing capabilities in Legnica, including graphite recovery and copper separation, black mass treatment, and the handling of modules with residual energy.
Nils Steinbrecher
Cylib
Responsible for the sales of cylib’s products and implementing the team’s mission is to make cylib the European leader in Battery Recycling by supporting clients to close the loop in a circular economy. Earlier MD for SK tes, VP for VDE Renewables‘APAC Battery Testing and Services. Worked extensively in APAC (15 years) and Europe on sustainability related services including Climate Change, Energy Efficiency, EHS and operational excellence with companies like ERM, DuPont, JMJ and others.Abstract
A spin-off of RWTH Aachen University, Cylib is a leader in European battery recycling through its water-based hydrometallurgical technology. Its plant in Germany annually processes the equivalent of 140,000 vehicles, recovering lithium, nickel, and cobalt with 90% efficiency. This end-to-end solution reduces the carbon footprint by 80%, bolstering European strategic autonomy and decreasing reliance on foreign primary mining.
Ángel Manuel Escamilla Pérez
Leitat
Ángel Escamilla-Pérez holds a PhD in Physics and Physical Chemistry of Materials from the University of Montpellier, France. He has been working in the fields of environmental technologies and energy storage since 2014 and joined Leitat in 2022. He is currently a Senior Researcher in Battery Raw Materials, leading the development of next-generation materials and advanced recycling technologies. He coordinates national and European projects, including RESTORE, BATRAW and AM4BAT.Abstract
The growing volume of end-of-life batteries requires urgent, safe and sustainable recycling solutions. In contrast to conventional mechanical recycling routes, which mix materials and pose safety risks, Leitat has developed an intelligent recovery strategy based on contactless X-ray sorting and artificial intelligence-powered vision systems. This approach enables the identification of different battery chemistries prior to treatment. In addition, semi-automated and remote dismantling procedures are implemented for battery modules and packs. These innovations maximize the recovery of critical raw materials and strengthen the resilience of the European battery ecosystem.
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