Ford, Redwood Materials to work on EV battery recycling program

Ford has been one of the first automotive brands to team up with Redwood Materials in pursuing a comprehensive electric vehicle battery recycling program. This battery recycling initiative aims to establish efficient, safe, and effective recovery pathways for end-of-life hybrid and electric vehicle battery packs.

Ford has issued a statement regarding Redwood Materials’ pathway program for end-of-life battery electric vehicles in California.

“We are excited to be strengthening our partnership with Redwood Materials in identifying solutions for electric vehicle batteries that have reached the end of their useful lives. This new program with Redwood Materials will help Ford lead America’s transition to sustainable and carbon-neutral EV manufacturing and ultimately help make electric vehicles more environmentally responsible and affordable for our customers. I want to thank JB Straubel and the Redwood team for bringing their world-class technology and know-how to our joint effort,” said Ford President and CEO Jim Farley.

Redwood Materials published a press release on its website that further explains the process involved in the said EV battery recycling program. The press material reads: “We (Redwood Materials) will work directly with dealers and dismantlers in California to identify and recover end-of-life packs. Redwood will then safely package, transport, and recycle these batteries at our facilities in neighboring Northern Nevada, and then return high-quality, recycled materials back into domestic cell production. Over time, as EOL packs scale, we expect these batteries to become valuable assets that will help make EVs more sustainable and affordable.”

Redwood Materials also says that while Ford and Volvo were the first auto brands to support the EV battery recycling program, they will still accept all lithium-ion (Li-ion) and nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries in the state and welcome other automakers to join the initiative.

Redwood Materials is led by co-founder and CEO JB Straubel along with COO Kevin Kassekert. Both are former Tesla employees.

Locally, Ford Philippines worked with Motolite and PBSP on a similar program for conventional vehicle batteries. 

Photos from Ford and Redwood Materials

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