The Start of a New Era in the Circular Economy for Electric Vehicle Drivetrains

Consisting of 25 funded partners from industry, SMEs, and science—supplemented by associated partners from research and business— ReDriveS is one of the national flagship projects in the BMWE's specialist program "DNS of sustainable mobility—digital, sustainable, system-compatible." ReDriveS has a project volume of more than €25 million with total funding of over €16 million.

The project aims to develop economically viable and ecologically beneficial circular economy solutions for electric axle drives. Automated disassembly processes, innovative recycling methods for rare earth magnets, and the use of digital twins will lay the cross-industry foundations for sustainable electromobility.

ReDriveS addresses three key themes of the mobility transition: digitalization, sustainability, and system compatibility.

The focus is on:

• the development of automated, robot-guided disassembly systems for electric axle drives,
• Recycling processes for rare earth magnets (NdFeB) and other strategic materials, as well as
• The development of a digital ecosystem with digital twins for cross-manufacturer data usage.

The project makes a significant contribution to the resilience of the value chain in electromobility and plays an important role in meeting future recycling quotas and reducing the carbon footprint of electric vehicles in Germany and Europe.

The project is being coordinated by Schaeffler AG. It will run for 36 months and is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). TÜV Rheinland Forschungs- und Innovationsmanagement GmbH is responsible for project management.

For the official launch on January 12 and 13, 2026, more than 80 participants from the consortium gathered at the Schaeffler site in Herzogenaurach to celebrate the start of the research project. January 12 was dedicated to the official project launch: In the afternoon and evening, there were welcoming remarks by Stefan Heidemann (BMWE) and keynotes from business and research, as well as a presentation of the overall ReDriveS project by consortium leader Schaeffler. This was followed by a joint networking event that provided an opportunity for personal exchange between the project partners. On the morning of January 13, the current status and objectives of the work packages were presented. The program was rounded off by the project sponsor's report and an outlook on the next steps in the project implementation.

With its combination of automation, digitalization, and circular economy, ReDriveS exemplifies the transformation of the German automotive industry toward sustainable, data-driven, and resource-efficient production systems. Once completed, the results of the project will be transferred to industrial applications and made available as an industry solution for OEMs, suppliers, and recyclers.

Participants in the ReDriveS project include Schaeffler AG, AVL Software and Functions GmbH, Circu Li-Ion, EKS InTec GmbH, FEV, FFT Produktionssysteme, Fraunhofer IPA, Fraunhofer LBF, Pforzheim University, LPKF Laser & Electronics SE, FAPS Chair at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, msg for automotive, Öko-Institut, Robert Bosch GmbH, The Battery Lifecycle Company GmbH (BLC), TU Bergakademie Freiberg, TU Clausthal – IEVB, TU Clausthal – IGMR, Volkswagen AG.