In September of last year, VW CEO Herbert Deiss announced that Volkswagen wanted to recycle and reuse old EV batteries. It's a logical step. Vehicles like the Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.Buzz are supposed to be a more sustainable option as compared to a dirty diesel car. Too soon? Now, VW is making that a reality. With any luck, these batteries will outlast just about any car.

For the first time, Volkswagen research teams have managed to recycle batteries multiple times. Now that it's done, VW is working with several companies and researchers, including Germany's RWTH Aachen University, to further cement the necessary processes to recycle these batteries.

Sebastian Wolf, Chief Operating Officer Battery Cell at Volkswagen AG, explained: "The recycling of batteries and production rejects makes a decisive contribution to securing the supply of raw materials for our planned factories. Through the HVBatCycle project, a holistic view of the recycling processes and thereby the implementation of the closed loop of battery materials is being prepared."

We'll spare you the science-y economics talk on this one. VW says in order to ensure the brand is using fewer primary raw materials (from places like mines and salt flats), existing materials will be harvested from batteries multiple times over. Once those materials are produced into battery cells, they can be recycled again at the end of the battery's current life cycle. VW also says that all of these steps must be carefully coordinated to ensure the process is as ecologically-friendly as possible and as scalable as possible.

Moreover, VW is looking to automate the highly-complex process of recycling batteries. However, it'll only be automated in part, with the dismantling of batteries down to their individual cells and electrodes left to machines. At a certain point, a human will have to step in to complete the process. After that, they'll be reassembled and put to use.

If VW can continue to make this work, in addition to making it an ecologically-sound proposition, this is huge news for all of us on this planet. With any luck, a number of industries could benefit from this too. Cutting down on e-waste is a huge win for the climate, and we'll all get shiny new eco-friendly toys out of the VW tech.