New GIST Hub Project

The GIST Hub research portfolio continues to expand with a new project addressing one of the key challenges of the global mobility transition: the recycling of end-of-life electric vehicle batteries.

The project, Future Geographies of the EV Battery Recycling Market: Global Production Networks, Circular Economy and the Role of Chile, is led by Prof. Dr. Jonathan Barton (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile) together with Prof. Dr. Johannes Glückler and Prof. Dr. Jelena Spanjol (LMU Munich) and is funded through the Avanza UC 2025 Research and Innovation Fund.

As electric mobility grows worldwide, increasing numbers of batteries will reach the end of their useful life. While many can still be repurposed for energy storage, recycling offers opportunities to recover critical minerals and reduce demand for virgin resources. Developing effective public policies for battery reuse and recycling will therefore be essential for advancing a circular economy and supporting sustainable transitions.

The project investigates how public policies, planning authorities and private-sector actors shape the development and location of electric vehicle battery reuse and recycling (EVRR) infrastructure, with a particular focus on Chile.

Combining the Global Production Network (GPN) framework with a comparative analysis of policies and practices in Germany and Norway, as well as interviews with key informants in Chile, the research explores future pathways for EVRR and their implications for regional development.

The collaboration lays the foundation for larger international research initiatives and further strengthens the growing partnership between researchers in Chile, Germany and beyond.