Ford announced on Wednesday plans to partner with Redwood Materials, co-founded by Tesla’s JB Straubel, for battery recycling.
The plan is for the recycled materials to be reintroduced into the electric vehicle battery supply chain, creating a so-called “closed loop,” according to a Ford press release. This reduces costs as well as the overall environmental impact of battery manufacturing, said Ford.
Based in Nevada, Redwood Materials claims to recover up to 95% of materials such as nickel, cobalt, lithium, and copper, according to Ford. In addition to recycling, the company also recently announced plans to manufacture anode copper foils and cathode materials.
This is Ford’s second recent partnership related to the battery supply chain. Ford is also seeking a joint venture with SK Innovation, BlueOvalSK, for the majority of its future electric vehicle battery supply. Theoretically, batteries produced from that joint venture could be recycled by Redwood Materials at the end of their life cycle. The recovered materials could then be used in more batteries.
Other automakers are making plans for battery recycling as they work to increase electric vehicle production. Volkswagen also claims it will be able to recover up to 95% of raw materials, while General Motors has named Canada’s Li-Cycle as the official recycling partner for its Ultium modular battery system.
All of this aligns with President Biden’s push for increased electric vehicle recycling in the United States to help address supply shortages and facilitate more domestically manufactured electric vehicles.
