Cox Automotive and DHL to open UK EV battery repair centre

By Gareth Roberts

Cox Automotive and DHL Supply Chain have teamed up to deliver an electric vehicle (EV) battery repair and remanufacturing centre.

The 35,000-square-foot facility – believed to be largest scale battery management and maintenance operation in the UK – will be housed at DHL’s 146,000-square-foot EV Centre of Excellence in Rugby.

Cox Automotive will provide specialist triage, repair and remanufacturing services at the battery facility through its EV Battery Solutions business.

New to the UK market, EV Battery Solutions has been delivering similar services in the US and in Europe through a site in the Netherlands. 

EV battery servicing support

Complemented where needed by DHL’s inbound and outbound logistics and storage expertise, the UK service aims to address the need for infrastructure to support EV battery servicing in and outside of the warranty period.  

Martin Forbes, president of Cox Automotive International, said: “As the automotive industry attempts to balance government mandates, consumer concerns about the durability of EVs, and a lack of technical expertise, the market requires tangible solutions and infrastructure to address barriers to EV adoption. 

“With 35,000 square feet of dedicated battery repair space, we can deliver vital battery services to customers under one roof. 

“In addition, this new facility provides our customers with a unique EV handling service as it complements our existing vehicle services location just 13 miles away in Bruntingthorpe.”

End-to-end solution for EV batteries

The launch of EV Battery Solutions in the UK comes three years after Cox Automotive’s global acquisition of Spiers New Technologies (SNT) in 2021. 

The acquisition included SNT’s US operations in Oklahoma, Las Vegas, Detroit and Nevada, as well as its facility in Ede, Netherlands, which will continue to form an integral part of EV Battery Solutions. 

Paul Stone, MD manufacturing logistics at DHL Supply Chain, said: “Handling, transporting and storing EV batteries is a complex process, presenting some unique challenges. 

“We’ve been listening and working with the industry to create a more robust end-to-end solution for EV batteries that effectively and reliably addresses challenges for manufacturers and fleets. 

“Today, alongside Cox Automotive, we are setting the new standard for EV battery circularity and this cooperation represents a major step forward in creating a scalable circular economy for batteries in the UK.”  

The dedicated EV battery repair space has the capacity to handle thousands of batteries per year.