BASF and its partners are set to present two technologies at K 2025 that allow for the recycling of polyamides from end-of-life vehicles. While metal recovery from decommissioned vehicles has been standard for decades, about 200 kilograms of plastic per vehicle are often incinerated. The new technologies aim to change this, especially with upcoming requirements from the End-of-Life Vehicle Regulation (ELVR). Pilot projects show how automotive waste can be used as material and returned to a closed cycle for the car industry.

BASF developed a chemical recycling process that recycles used and contaminated plastic parts – including used oil pans from ZF Group vehicles. The core of the process is depolymerisation, where the long polyamide chains break down into their original monomers. The caprolactam monomer obtained from PA6 is then purified. This removes impurities that would have remained with mechanical recycling and potentially reduced the material's quality and safety.

The material is then repolymerised into high-quality polyamide, which is processed into a compound suitable for demanding car industry components, closing the automotive-to-automotive loop.

"What used to be considered non-recyclable is now the starting point for high-quality new products," said Martin Scheuble, Team Leader Circularity Engineering Plastics at BASF.

ZF Group processed the recycled material into a chassis component for Mercedes-Benz. Tests show that depolymerisation allows for polyamide compounds that can be used without compromising performance or other chemical and physical properties.

"This project highlights the potential of recycled plastic - even for technically demanding applications - and underlines ZF's innovative strength in establishing sustainable material cycles," said Dr. Michael Lohrmann, Director Materials Technology at ZF.

Solvent-based recycling of shredder residue

A second pilot project focuses on recycling automotive shredder residue (ASR) – a mixture of materials left after the removal of mostly metals and glass. Close cooperation with a recycling company, using new sorting and processing technology, has allowed the polyamides to be extracted from this mixture in a largely pure form.

This polyamide fraction was the starting material for a solvent-based recycling process. In this process, the polymer chain is selectively dissolved with a solvent, purified and then reprocessed into PA6 compounds.

Poppelmann manufactured and tested a chain guide rail in series production at Mercedes-Benz using this technology.

"The project impressively demonstrates that solvent-based recycling is a practical alternative for plastics that are difficult to recycle mechanically. It makes an important contribution to the holistic circular economy - from the car back into the car," emphasised Steffen Meyer, Team Leader Production Technology at Poppelmann.

Life cycle analyses (LCA) confirm that both the solvent-based and depolymerisation technologies offer substantial CO2 emission savings compared to both conventional polyamide production and traditional plastic recycling methods like thermal recovery.

BASF offers a range of recycling solutions, stating that targets are achieved only if technologies are used in a complementary manner, depending on the type and availability of waste.

Jana Kragenbring-Noor, Head of Sustainability & Environmental Protection at Mercedes-Benz, explained, "Mercedes-Benz is committed to the use of secondary raw materials in its vehicles today and in the future as part of resource conservation and circularity. To continuously increase the availability of such sought-after secondary materials, the expansion of existing and new recycling technologies is essential."

"We are continuously improving the efficiency of physical methods such as mechanical and solvent-based recycling. In addition, we are convinced that complementary technologies such as chemical recycling, which includes depolymerization, pyrolysis and gasification, are necessary to further promote the circular economy and reduce the plastic waste that still ends up in landfills or is incinerated today, as well as the potential to obtain high-quality recycled plastics," explained, Dr. Martin Jung, President of BASF Performance Materials.

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Intangles has launched an AIS-140-certified product portfolio in India across four distinct configurations: InCert, InSight, InGenious and InVision+. The product lineup supports commercial vehicle segments ranging from three-wheelers and cabs to light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles and buses.

The portfolio integrates India's AIS-140 vehicle tracking and emergency alert requirements with predictive fleet intelligence. InCert provides certified tracking, trip management, geofencing, and driver alerts. InSight adds driver behaviour reporting, fuel consumption insights and fault codes with repair guidance. InGenious introduces predictive vehicle health monitoring, fuel management, and automated operations tools. InVision+ combines the certified hardware with AI-powered video telematics using dual cameras and in-cabin voice alerts.

All four versions run on Intangles' InRoute fleet intelligence platform. The devices are available through field sales channels and the company's direct-to-consumer platform, InCentral, which handles compatibility checks, purchases, and VLTD certificate generation.

Anup Patil, CEO, Intangles, said, "The size of a fleet should not determine whether an operator can access predictive intelligence. A vehicle off the road can significantly affect a business, whether it owns five vehicles or five hundred. With a certified device already installed and connected whenever the vehicle runs, operators should be able to choose the value it delivers to their business. Intangles’ new range brings this promise to life through #ChoiceOkPlease, giving operators the flexibility and freedom to choose a solution that meets compliance requirements and addresses their everyday operational challenges."

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Affordable Robotic & Automation (ARAPL) has announced that its subsidiary ARAPL RaaS, operating under the Humro brand, has received Conditional Approval from the US Department of War for its specified autonomous industrial vehicles under the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) framework.

The approval, issued by the FCC following national security assessments, covers Humro’s Maia2000 autonomous pallet trucks and Atlas AC2000 autonomous forklifts. The decision grants the specified devices exemption from FCC Covered List restrictions, which were introduced in July 2026 for foreign-produced robotic devices.

Humro is among 13 global robotics operators, and the only Indian entity, to receive conditional authorization under the updated guidelines. The approval enables the company to enter the US material-handling market, subject to compliance with onshoring plans, local manufacturing commitments over the next two years, and equipment authorisation requirements.

Robinson Philipose, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Humro, said, "This is a significant milestone for Humro and an important validation of our technology and our commitment to building globally competitive robotics solutions. Being among the first few robotics companies worldwide to receive Conditional Approval under the revised US regulatory framework is a matter of great pride for us."

"Following the regulatory changes, our team worked relentlessly to replace certain key components that did not meet the revised guidelines. This also required us to make corresponding changes to our technology to ensure compliance. We completed the modifications, submitted our application and secured FCC approval within a remarkably short period. This demonstrates the agility and technical capabilities of our team. The approval strengthens our position as we look to expand our international footprint and take our autonomous material-handling solutions to customers in the US. We see considerable potential for robotics to transform warehouse, manufacturing and logistics operations. As part of the Conditional Approval, we are also committed to commencing manufacturing in the US in phases over the next two years. We are actively looking to partner with like-minded local players to establish our manufacturing operations in the country," Philipose.

Melind Padole, Founder and Director, ARAPL Group, said, "These are exciting times, with our teams in the US and India expanding rapidly. Securing FCC approval within such a short period demonstrates the strength of our team and the capabilities of our products. As we prepare to commence manufacturing in the US in line with FCC requirements, we have also begun working towards meeting the requirements of the Buy American Act (BAA) and the Trade Agreements Act (TAA). In parallel, we are developing a new technology platform based on Vision-Language Action models. Our next-generation robots will be more human-like in their ability to perceive, understand and interact with their surroundings, and will incorporate reinforcement learning capabilities. This will enable them to learn from experience, adapt to changing environments and perform increasingly complex tasks."

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Infineon Technologies has announced a technology agreement with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. to integrate a microcontroller-based design pattern into Qualcomm's Snapdragon Ride reference platforms for high-performance computing and in-vehicle Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The initiative combines Qualcomm's systems-on-chip (SoC) with Infineon's hardware and software components for safety management, connectivity and memory handling to support centralised architectures in Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs). The development will be highlighted ahead of the electronica trade fair in Munich.

The subsystem is built around an Infineon AURIX microcontroller and OPTIREG integrated circuits for power management, operating alongside Qualcomm's Snapdragon Ride and Ride Flex platforms to monitor system health, coordinate safety mechanisms and provide real-time control.

The architecture is supported by a dedicated software package designed to pre-integrate firmware and connect with vehicle networks such as Ethernet and CAN. In addition to the microcontroller subsystem, Infineon contributes BRIGHTLANE Automotive Ethernet and USB connectivity devices alongside SEMPER NOR Flash memory qualified for the Snapdragon Ride ecosystem.

Peter Schiefer, President of the Automotive Division, Infineon, said, "With Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon Ride, we enable the automotive industry to build and scale a new generation of car computers that combine tremendous computing and AI capabilities with the reliability required on the road. Our collaboration reflects a fundamental approach to centralised vehicle computing, which combines a powerful SoC with a set of specialised components around it, including a safety microcontroller, power management, connectivity and memory devices. All these components need to work together seamlessly to help enable safe vehicle operation. Infineon provides essential functional building blocks and integration expertise for building the trust foundation for software-defined vehicles that leverage the power of AI."

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LG Energy Solution has announced the launch of the Battery Innovation Contest 2026 (BIC 2026), inviting universities and research institutions globally to submit research proposals between 29 October and 6 December 2026 via its online open innovation platform, BRIDGE.

Now in its 10^th year, the program aims to identify and fund research concepts with potential for commercialisation across the battery industry. BIC 2026 incorporates two application streams: a thematic call addressing specific development topics identified by LG Energy Solution across materials, cells, battery management systems and artificial intelligence; and an open-topic call permitting researchers to submit original proposals.

To safeguard intellectual property, the contest uses a two-stage evaluation process requiring a brief concept proposal during the initial review before shortlisted applicants submit detailed submissions.

Since 2017, the Battery Innovation Contest has supported approximately 50 research projects. Select projects with verified feasibility have been expanded into longer-term initiatives at the company's Frontier Research Laboratory joint research centres. Previous outcomes include patent filings for physics-based battery management models and research on room-temperature all-solid-state batteries published in academic journals.

Je-Young Kim, CTO, LG Energy Solution, said, "By joining forces, industry and academia can drive innovation across the battery industry. Building on our differentiated technological competitiveness, LG Energy Solution will continue to accelerate its growth in the battery market."

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