- EVs, plug-in hybrids, and mild-hybrids from BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce will all have their batteries recycled.
- Redwood Materials can return 95-98% to the battery supply chain.
- The battery recycler was formed in 2017 by Tesla co-founder JB Straubel.
Electric vehicles have long been touted as a more environmentally friendly alternative to ICEs, but many remain concerned about what you should do with the expensive battery packs at the end of their lifecycle. Recycling them is what BMW will do, thanks to a newly-inked partnership in North America.
The car manufacturer will work with leading battery recycler Redwood Materials to recycle the lithium-ion batteries used in its electric, plug-in hybrid, and mild hybrids models, from the BMW, Mini, Rolls-Royce, and BMW Motorrad families sold in the US. Redwood was founded in 2017 by Tesla co-founder and former chief technology officer JB Straubel and has other recycling deals with Ford, VW, and Volvo.
Read: Redwood Materials Gets $1 Billion In Fresh Funding To Grow EV Battery Recycling Business
Redwood will work directly with BMW’s network of close to 700 locations across the US, including dealerships, distribution centers, and other facilities, to recover end-of-life batteries. It can recycle and refine critical minerals, including nickel, cobalt, lithium, and copper, and return 95-98% of these minerals to the battery supply chain.
The recycling giant’s unique processes are said to have a significantly smaller environmental impact than other recycling technologies, reducing energy by 80%, CO2 emissions by 70%, and water by 80%. The minerals it can recover are nearly infinitely recycled and are not consumed or lost in their lifetime of usage in a vehicle.
“Together with Redwood Materials, BMW is laying the groundwork for the creation of a fully circular battery supply chain in the US,” BMW of North America head of sustainability Denise Melville said. “We have said before that the future of BMW was electric, digital, and circular, and this agreement brings us a step closer to meeting that goal.”
Redwood currently runs a large campus in Reno, Nevada, and is constructing a second facility in Charleston, South Carolina, close to BMW’s factory that will handle the production of at least six fully electric vehicles.
“The transition to electric mobility presents a tremendous opportunity to rethink how we manage the batteries that power our clean energy future,” added Redwood Materials chief commercial officer Cal Lankton. “Our partnership with BMW of North America ensures responsible end-of-life battery management that will improve the environmental footprint of lithium-ion batteries, help decrease cost and, in turn, increase access and adoption of electric vehicles.”
