US battery recycler Redwood wins BMW as a customer
BMW of North America and Redwood Materials have announced their new partnership for the recycling of lithium-ion batteries. This extends to all BMW, Mini, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad electric and hybrid vehicles in the US. Redwood Materials will work directly with the BMW Group’s network of nearly 700 locations in the US, including dealerships and distribution centres. From there, used lithium-ion batteries will be sent for recycling: Redwood extracts important minerals such as nickel, cobalt, lithium and copper, recycles them and processes them. Redwood claims a recycling rate of 95 to 98 per cent of these critical minerals.
“Together with Redwood Materials, BMW is laying the groundwork for the creation of a fully circular battery supply chain in the U.S.,” said Denise Melville, head of sustainability at BMW of North America. “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.”
“The transition to electric mobility presents a tremendous opportunity to rethink how we manage the batteries that power our clean energy future,” said Cal Lankton, Chief Commercial Officer at Redwood Materials. “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.”
The recycled materials will apparently be used primarily for batteries for vehicles built at BMW’s US plants in Spartanburg and Woodruff. BMW plans to assemble at least six all-electric models and high-voltage battery packs for those vehicles at both factories by the end of the decade. The company’s battery cell manufacturing partner, AESC, is also located nearby.
Redwood Materials can already process over 40,000 tonnes per year, which corresponds to 15 to 20 GWh of battery capacity. Redwood’s partners already include the US business of Volkswagen and Audi. Last year, Redwood also took over the German battery recycler Redux Recycling in Bremerhaven.
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