Ultium Cells and Li-Cycle to Expand Recycling in North America

The dirty secret is that EVs really aren’t clean. Click to Enlarge.

Ultium Cells LLC, a joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution, announced an agreement today with Li-Cycle to recycle up to 100% of the material scrap from battery cell manufacturing.

The new recycling process will allow Ultium Cells in theory to recycle battery materials, including cobalt, nickel, lithium, graphite, copper, manganese and aluminum. It’s estimated that 95% of these materials can be used in the production of new batteries or for other industries. The hydro-metallurgical process through which these battery materials will be recycled emits 30% less greenhouse gas than traditional processes, it’s claimed, helping to minimize environmental impact.

“Our combined efforts with Ultium Cells will be instrumental in redirecting battery manufacturing scrap from landfills and returning a substantial amount of valuable battery-grade materials back into the battery supply chain,” said Ajay Kochhar, Li-Cycle’s president and CEO and co-founder. “This partnership is a critical step forward in advancing our proven lithium-ion resource recovery technology as a more sustainable alternative to mining.”

GM’s so-called zero-waste initiative aims to divert more than 90% of its manufacturing waste from landfills and incineration globally by 2025. Mining, of course is an environmentally ruinous process with severe negative social effects. The dirty secret is that EVs really aren’t clean when manufacturing and energy generation are taken into account.

Since 2013, GM has recycled or reused 100% of the battery packs received from customers, including any packs replaced through warranty service. Most current GM EVs are repaired with refurbished packs. Ultium batteries will have a modular design, also making them easy to reuse or recycle.

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