Redwood Materials is creating a circular supply chain for electric vehicles and clean energy products, making them more sustainable and reducing the cost of batteries. Founded by JB Straubel (former Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder of Tesla), the Nevada-based company is offering large-scale sources of anode and cathode materials produced at scale in the U.S. for the first time from recycled batteries.
Redwood will produce strategic battery materials, focusing on producing anode & cathode components – these two components make up nearly 80% of the cost of a battery cell, with cathode being the single most expensive component in an electric vehicle. To date, nearly all anode and cathode production feeding U.S. battery cell manufacturers occurs overseas in Asia. To make electric vehicles and energy storage products fully sustainable and affordable, we need to close the loop at the end of their life. This process means not just recycling batteries but also fully refining the metals we recover and then remanufacturing them into battery materials (anode and cathode) that can go directly back into U.S. battery production.
Redwood is ramping up its Northern Nevada battery facility and is breaking ground on its second Battery Materials Campus outside Charleston, South Carolina. Both of Redwood’s campuses will recycle, refine, and manufacture battery materials, aiming to scale production of components to 100 GWh annually.
Last week, we introduced an innovative and user-friendly tool tailor-made for automotive dismantlers: A tool to effortlessly value and sell recovered EV packs directly to Redwood, ensuring a frictionless, safe and responsible approach to end-of-life battery management.
The introduction of our online portal signifies a significant step forward in how end-of-life packs are handled at scale, and with a couple of clicks, any automotive dismantler will receive an instant offer for their EV battery pack. Once they accept the sale, Redwood handles transportation.
Equipping dismantlers across the U.S. with a tool to accurately value and recycle batteries that come through their yards is an important step in addressing the growing end-of-life of EVs and policies surrounding EV battery management.
Why This Matters? Improving the Automotive Recycling Landscape
Convenience & Efficiency: With just three steps, dismantlers across the US can secure an instant offer for EV battery packs. Once they accept the sale, Redwood handles transportation.
Transparency: Our platform is built on transparency. By offering instant valuations and clear pathways for battery pack sales, we’re removing the guesswork and the haggles from the equation, ensuring recyclers know what they’re getting upfront.
Safety & Responsibility: This portal isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about leading the way in responsible end-of-life EV battery management. Our portal integrates advanced tracking and management systems for end-of-life (EOL) EV batteries. As these batteries find their way through the yards of recyclers across the nation, our tool ensures each is accounted for, valued appropriately, and prepared for responsible recycling, addressing concerns of orphaned and stranded batteries.
End-of-Life EVs are increasing: EVs and their batteries are expected to last between 10-20 years. We can look in the rearview mirror and predict when and where these cars will retire. As the first wave of end-of-life cars ramps, we’re also met with evolving policies and heightened battery management demands. In 2024, we expect 250K electrified vehicles to reach end-of-life. Our platform emerges as an essential solution, equipping dismantlers to efficiently navigate this landscape and prepare for their fleet change.
In the rapidly evolving landscape of electric vehicles, Redwood Materials is not just observing the change; we’re driving it. By bridging innovation with responsibility, our new portal promises not only to improve the automotive recycling value chain but also to set a new standard in sustainability. Our aim is to proactively introduce innovative solutions that address the rapid growth of the EV industry, ensure sustainability, preserve jobs, and steer clear of measures that might increase unnecessary costs or deter EV adoption. Our proven track record of successful collaboration with automotive manufacturers and dismantlers reinforces this commitment.
Visit www.redwoodmaterials.com
Images courtesy of Redwood Materials
