Photo: Volkswagen
The electric vehicle revolution is in full swing, but people start to wonder what would happen with the millions of Li-Ion batteries when they reach their end of life. It turns out there is a simple answer to this question, as emphasized by JB Straubel, CEO of recycler Redwood Materials: they’ll make money.
Although nobody questions what happens with the billions of Li-ion batteries from phones and laptops, petrolheads love to point out how unsustainable electric vehicles are, precisely for the same reason. This comes at odds with the fact that EVs use their batteries a lot wiser, with many lasting for hundreds of thousands of miles, sometimes more than the normal life of a car. And yet, what will become of those depleted batteries when they’ll be too battered to hold a charge?
It turns out they’ll become money, at least for those in the business of recycling Li-Ion batteries. This is something that should’ve been obvious to EV detractors, but I give them credit. Li-Ion cells recycling is a complicated affair. It is profitable, nonetheless, and this is confirmed by one of the most prominent figures in the industry - JB Straubel, CEO of Redwood Materials.
Ex-Tesla co-founder and CTO left the company three years ago to pursue his own vision for a sustainable future. His new company, Redwood Materials, specializes in recycling materials to reuse those that are the hardest to obtain for a truly circular economy. His new startup, based in Carson City, Nevada, employs 300 workers to recycle used batteries. Of course, being ex-Tesla, he has contracts with Panasonic, who makes Tesla batteries, but also with Ford.
In an interview with Associated Press, Straubel spoke about the market for metals and how recycling will help companies alleviate their supply chains problems. The interview covers various matters, but one thing caught our attention. Specifically, Redwood Materials’ CEO states that recycling Li-Ion batteries is a profitable business right now. It is not easy, but still profitable.
“Lithium-Ion batteries are one of the highest value materials to recycle of modern consumer goods. They’re just difficult to do, and it’s quite tricky to get all those valuable elements out. The actual operations of recycling these batteries, that is profitable today. There’s really quite a hunger for these materials,“ says JB Straubel in the interview.
This goes not only for car batteries but also for materials sourced from electric toothbrushes, phones, and other electronic commodities. And the best part is that repeated recycling of these materials does not affect their performance. On the contrary, they tend to get more pure with each additional cycle of manufacturing and refining. So, there’s really no reason for Li-Ion cells to get into the landfill. They’re too precious for that.
It turns out they’ll become money, at least for those in the business of recycling Li-Ion batteries. This is something that should’ve been obvious to EV detractors, but I give them credit. Li-Ion cells recycling is a complicated affair. It is profitable, nonetheless, and this is confirmed by one of the most prominent figures in the industry - JB Straubel, CEO of Redwood Materials.
Ex-Tesla co-founder and CTO left the company three years ago to pursue his own vision for a sustainable future. His new company, Redwood Materials, specializes in recycling materials to reuse those that are the hardest to obtain for a truly circular economy. His new startup, based in Carson City, Nevada, employs 300 workers to recycle used batteries. Of course, being ex-Tesla, he has contracts with Panasonic, who makes Tesla batteries, but also with Ford.
In an interview with Associated Press, Straubel spoke about the market for metals and how recycling will help companies alleviate their supply chains problems. The interview covers various matters, but one thing caught our attention. Specifically, Redwood Materials’ CEO states that recycling Li-Ion batteries is a profitable business right now. It is not easy, but still profitable.
“Lithium-Ion batteries are one of the highest value materials to recycle of modern consumer goods. They’re just difficult to do, and it’s quite tricky to get all those valuable elements out. The actual operations of recycling these batteries, that is profitable today. There’s really quite a hunger for these materials,“ says JB Straubel in the interview.
This goes not only for car batteries but also for materials sourced from electric toothbrushes, phones, and other electronic commodities. And the best part is that repeated recycling of these materials does not affect their performance. On the contrary, they tend to get more pure with each additional cycle of manufacturing and refining. So, there’s really no reason for Li-Ion cells to get into the landfill. They’re too precious for that.
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