Redwood Materials, founded by Tesla co-founder JB Straubel, is making strides in the recycling of electric vehicle (EV) battery packs that have been damaged by natural disasters like fires and floods. The company aims to recover valuable metals such as lithium, copper, and nickel from these damaged packs to reuse in the production of new lithium-ion cells.
Straubel emphasized that as the use of batteries proliferates across cars, homes, and energy grids, it’s crucial to develop solutions that prevent them from becoming environmental hazards during their end-of-life, especially after disasters.
Initially, Redwood Materials focused on recycling batteries and scrap materials from auto dealers, electronics recyclers, and cell manufacturers like Panasonic. However, with the rise in climate-related disasters, the company has expanded its scope to include batteries damaged by natural events.
Redwood has already been involved in high-profile recovery operations, such as assisting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with the aftermath of the Maui wildfire last year and dealing with burned battery packs from a truck crash in California in July. Additionally, the company is monitoring potential damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the Southeast, and Florida, is prepared to assist with battery recovery once cleanup efforts begin.
Despite the severe damage that natural disasters inflict on EVs, the valuable materials within the batteries often remain intact. Straubel noted that, surprisingly, even after fires or flooding, more than 90% of lithium, copper, and nickel can still be recovered from the damaged cells.
This ability to recover critical materials is a key advantage in minimizing environmental impact, as these materials are largely unaffected by the external damage to the battery packs. Redwood’s approach allows the company to recycle and repurpose these materials for new batteries, ensuring that valuable resources are not lost, even in catastrophic situations.
As the global demand for electric vehicles, hybrids, and energy storage units continues to grow, the need for responsible recycling has become even more pressing. Climate change is leading to an increase in the frequency of natural disasters, which in turn results in more damaged batteries. At the same time, the global supply of essential metals for battery production is tightening, making the ability to recover and reuse these materials even more crucial.
Redwood has raised over $2 billion in funding to expand its operations, and now recycles approximately 70% of all spent lithium-ion cells in the U.S. This capacity is enough to produce new battery packs for more than 250,000 electric vehicles each year.
The increasing number of road accidents and weather-related incidents involving damaged lithium-ion battery packs has highlighted the importance of proper recovery and disposal. Straubel acknowledged that this growing issue was not something Redwood initially planned for, but it is a critical challenge that the company is now addressing.
The rise in such events has created a need for solutions that local governments and first responders often lack, as these types of incidents are relatively new and don’t have established protocols. Redwood Materials is stepping in to fill this gap, working to ensure that hazardous materials from damaged batteries are handled safely and responsibly, while also providing much-needed recycling solutions for the growing number of EVs on the road.