Volkswagen of America and Audi have chosen Redwood Materials as their battery recycling partner for the recovery and recycling of EV batteries from their network of more than 1,000 dealers in the United States. Redwood will bring the removed packages to the facility in Carson City, Nevada, where more than 95% of the metals found in these batteries — including nickel, cobalt, lithium and copper — will be recovered and used to make anode and cathode components. to re-manufacture. Those components are returned to US battery cell manufacturers such as Panasonic.
Redwood Materials is fast becoming the go-to battery recycling company for several automakers, including: Toyota† Ford and Volvo. Under the agreement, the new EV battery recycling partnership will also integrate prototype batteries from Volkswagen’s research facilities, such as the Battery Engineering Lab in Chattanooga. It has also expanded to the production of battery materials.
The company announced plans in September 2021 to build a $2 billion plant by 2025 that will produce cathodes and anode foils up to a projected volume of 100 gigawatt hours per year of materials — enough for one million electric vehicle batteries. In January, Panasonic said Redwood will be shipping it with: copper foil made from recycled materials, a critical part of the anode side of a battery cell. Redwood also plans to expand and add another factory on the East Coast to better serve Toyota and other regional partners.
The deal with Volkswagen of America and Audi further increases Redwood’s market share in North America. Volkswagen of America and Audi have not disclosed how many batteries they will supply to Redwood. If the automakers meet their EV targets, it promises to give a significant boost to their business, says TechCrucnch† VOA expects that by 2030, 55% of its US sales will be battery-electric cars.
“The transition to electric transportation and clean energy is coming and the batteries that power these technologies present an incredible opportunity. As more and more batteries reach the end of their life each year, an ever-increasing and infinitely recyclable resource becomes available,” said JB Straubel, founder and CEO of Redwood Materials, in a statement. “Redwood and Volkswagen Group of America share a vision to create a domestic, circular battery supply chain that will help improve the environmental footprint of lithium-ion batteries, reduce costs and in turn increase access to and adoption of electric vehicles. will increase.”
The takeaway for recycling batteries
Strauble’s words about a ‘circular supply chain’ are key to this arrangement. People who listen to Faux News like to say that when EV batteries run out, the owners simply drive them to the nearest lake or river and walk away. Those people just don’t have the ability to understand what a massive paradigm shift a circular economy means. If people are to survive on this planet, they will have to adopt the idea of recycling and reusing precious resources. The era of constantly tearing material from the earth, using it and then throwing it away is over. Redwood Materials is the face of what’s next.
Do you appreciate the originality of CleanTechnica and the coverage of cleantech? Consider becoming one CleanTechnica member, supporter, technician or ambassador — or a patron on Patreon†
