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BMW North America and Redwood Materials* announced today a partnership to recycle lithium-ion batteries from electric, plug-in hybrid, and mild hybrid BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce, and BMW Motorrad in the U.S. The partnership is said to demonstrate a shared commitment to sustainability as the next step towards creating a closed-loop circular value chain for lithium-ion batteries in the U.S.
“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, 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.”
Redwood Materials will work directly with BMW Group’s extensive network of ~700 locations in the U.S., including dealerships, distribution centers, and other facilities to recover end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and ensure critical minerals like nickel, cobalt, lithium, and copper are recycled and refined.
With time, 95% – 98% of these critical minerals will be returned to the battery supply chain to build increasingly sustainable electric vehicles. The materials inside of a battery are nearly infinitely recyclable and are not consumed or lost in their lifetime of usage in the vehicle. Additionally, Redwood’s processes have a significantly smaller environmental impact than conventional mining or other recycling technologies, reducing energy by 80%, CO2 emissions by 70%, and water by 80%, BMW said in a release.
Redwood Materials currently operates a campus in Reno, Nevada where battery components are recycled, refined, and manufactured. A second Redwood Materials campus is under construction in Charleston, South Carolina, close to BMW Group Plant Spartanburg and Plant Woodruff, where BMW will assemble at least six fully electric models, and the high-voltage battery packs for those vehicles, before the end of the decade. The company’s battery cell manufacturing partner, AESC is also nearby in Florence, SC.
“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.”
Redwood is ramping its Northern Nevada facility and has broken 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 to 100 GWh annually.
*AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
BMW and Redwood Materials to Recycle Lithium-Ion Batteries
Click for more.
BMW North America and Redwood Materials* announced today a partnership to recycle lithium-ion batteries from electric, plug-in hybrid, and mild hybrid BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce, and BMW Motorrad in the U.S. The partnership is said to demonstrate a shared commitment to sustainability as the next step towards creating a closed-loop circular value chain for lithium-ion batteries in the U.S.
“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, 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.”
Redwood Materials will work directly with BMW Group’s extensive network of ~700 locations in the U.S., including dealerships, distribution centers, and other facilities to recover end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and ensure critical minerals like nickel, cobalt, lithium, and copper are recycled and refined.
With time, 95% – 98% of these critical minerals will be returned to the battery supply chain to build increasingly sustainable electric vehicles. The materials inside of a battery are nearly infinitely recyclable and are not consumed or lost in their lifetime of usage in the vehicle. Additionally, Redwood’s processes have a significantly smaller environmental impact than conventional mining or other recycling technologies, reducing energy by 80%, CO2 emissions by 70%, and water by 80%, BMW said in a release.
Redwood Materials currently operates a campus in Reno, Nevada where battery components are recycled, refined, and manufactured. A second Redwood Materials campus is under construction in Charleston, South Carolina, close to BMW Group Plant Spartanburg and Plant Woodruff, where BMW will assemble at least six fully electric models, and the high-voltage battery packs for those vehicles, before the end of the decade. The company’s battery cell manufacturing partner, AESC is also nearby in Florence, SC.
“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.”
Redwood is ramping its Northern Nevada facility and has broken 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 to 100 GWh annually.
*AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.