As Europe accelerates toward electrified transport and tighter recycling regulations, the challenge is no longer whether batteries and electric vehicle components can be recycled, but whether they can be dismantled safely and economically at scale. R3 Robotics, a Munich based deeptech company formerly known as Circu Li ion, is positioning itself at the centre of this transition. The company has secured €20 million in combined financing to industrialise automated disassembly systems for electric vehicles, enabling a shift from manual labour to high throughput robotic dismantling.
From battery disassembly to full vehicle systems
The funding consists of a €14 million Series A round co led by HG Ventures and Suma Capital, alongside €6 million in European grants. Additional investors include Oetker Collection, the European Innovation Council Fund, and existing shareholders BONVENTURE, FlixFounders, and EIT Urban Mobility.
Alongside the funding, the company has rebranded as R3 Robotics to reflect a broader ambition. Initially focused on lithium ion battery disassembly, the company is now expanding its scope to automated dismantling of complete electric vehicle systems. This includes battery packs, electric drives, power electronics, and other high value electrified components.
The long term goal is to enable fully automated disassembly across entire vehicle systems, transforming how end of life electric vehicles are processed.
Solving a critical industrial bottleneck
Today, disassembling electric vehicle components is largely manual. The process is labour intensive, costly, difficult to scale, and exposes workers to high voltage risks. These limitations restrict access to clean feedstock, which is essential for efficient recycling and reuse of materials.
R3 Robotics addresses this challenge through a dismantling platform designed for continuous industrial operation. Its system combines computer vision, artificial intelligence, and specialised robotic tooling to safely and repeatedly dismantle complex electrified components. By automating the most hazardous and time consuming steps, the platform reduces human exposure to risk while delivering the reliability and cost structure required for large scale deployment.
According to CEO and co founder Antoine Welter, the true constraint in the circular economy is not recycling technology itself but access to dismantled components that are clean, separated, and economically viable.
Policy pressure accelerates demand
European regulation is reinforcing the need for scalable dismantling infrastructure. The Critical Raw Materials Act highlights the strategic importance of securing domestic supply chains for key materials. At the same time, the EU Battery Regulation introduces progressively stricter recycling efficiency targets, including a 70 per cent lithium battery recycling target by 2030, alongside mandatory material recovery and recycled content requirements.
Together with the End of Life Vehicles Directive, these policies are reshaping how Europe approaches vehicle recycling and materials recovery, creating strong tailwinds for automated dismantling solutions.
Industrial partnerships and deployment
R3 Robotics is already working with Fortum Battery Recycling, a major integrated recycler operating across multiple stages of the European battery recycling value chain. The partnership focuses on deploying automated dismantling systems at industrial scale, supporting efficient recovery of critical raw materials.
The company also works directly with automotive OEM customers, processing end of life battery systems through its centralised dismantling infrastructure. This enables manufacturers to recover materials and reusable components while supporting secure and compliant sourcing within Europe.
Strengthening leadership and execution
To support its next phase of growth, R3 Robotics has added Peter Mohnen, former CEO of industrial robotics leader KUKA, to its advisory board. His experience in scaling global automation businesses is expected to support the company as it transitions from pilot deployments to widespread industrial adoption.
With fresh capital, expanding partnerships, and regulatory momentum on its side, R3 Robotics is positioning automated dismantling as a foundational layer of Europe’s electric vehicle circular economy, turning end of life systems into a strategic source of materials and industrial resilience.
