One Vehicle, Five Material Streams
EV recycling systems from Engineered Recycling Systems are the core technology for processing end-of-life electric vehicle components with precision and high material yield. These modular solutions handle the specific challenges of EV material recovery — copper and aluminum separation, black mass recovery, and integration into an existing workflow. They give recyclers the ability to process dismantled EV components efficiently while holding separation quality, throughput and long-term reliability.
One Vehicle, Several Different Problems
An end-of-life EV is not one material stream, it is five, and they do not behave alike. Wiring harnesses are copper under insulation. Motor windings are copper under varnish, wound tight. Structural components are aluminum, often bonded to steel. Interior trim is plastic and foam. The pack is lithium-ion cells, and it is the one that carries real fire risk.
A line built for any one of those will struggle with the other four. ERS designs for the mix that actually arrives at the gate.
What the System Recovers
Copper and aluminum recovery runs from wiring, motor windings and structural components, producing high-purity output with minimal material loss. Ferrous and non-ferrous separation is performed through magnetic separation and eddy current sorting, delivering clean metal fractions ready for resale or refining. Plastic and foam extraction removes insulation, trim and dashboard material, which lifts downstream purity and cuts landfill volume.
Dedicated black mass recovery modules let processors handle shredded lithium-ion cells and recover copper, aluminum and carbon fractions. ERS systems also support meatball and armature processing for recovering high-purity copper and aluminum from electric motor scrap.
Reduction and Separation
Material is opened with pre-shredders and reduced through shredders and mills, with hammer mills where the material calls for them. Density separation tables and advanced material separation split the fractions, and harness and cable material routes to copper wire and cable recycling.
Conveying and pneumatic transport move material between stages, and baling turns the recovered fractions into a product a buyer prices properly.
Modular and Scalable
Each system is built on a modular, scalable design, so facilities configure layouts around available space, throughput goals and material types. Systems are engineered for facility-specific integration, supporting automotive recyclers, scrap yards and EV material processors with layouts that align with existing infrastructure.
That flexibility matters more in EV than in most streams. Pack designs, chemistries and construction are still changing from model year to model year, and a line fixed to today's vehicle will be processing yesterday's within a decade.
Dust, Air and Safety
Dust collection and air filtration modules are part of the design rather than an accessory, and the CCM® OCT filter handles the filtration where duty is heavy. Systems are engineered to support the plant's environmental and regulatory obligations, worked through site by site with the operator and its insurer rather than claimed in the abstract.
Where It Is Used
ERS EV recycling systems run in EV material recovery and recycling facilities, automotive scrap processors, hybrid and electric vehicle dismantlers, and electronics and e-waste operations moving into battery material. The wider range sits under metals processing and scrap metal recycling systems, and installed systems are written up under project news and system updates.
Prove It On Your Own Material First
Recovery figures on paper are a starting point, not an answer. The ERS Test Facility in Atlanta exists so you never have to take one on trust. Send a sample of your actual material and we will run it through an ERS process flow, then show you the recovery, the purity and the throughput you can expect, with the output fractions in front of you.
Support After Commissioning
An EV line is worth what it does in year five. ERS keeps a stocked warehouse and supports every installation it builds, through to spare parts and service — blades, screens, rotors and separation components without a lead time measured in months.
Next Steps for Your EV Recycling Project
If you are specifying EV recycling systems, send your incoming mix, your throughput target and your floor plan through the contact form. Better still, send a sample and we will run it.