Ford Partners with Redwood Materials for Electric Vehicle Battery Recycling and Local Manufacturing

One of the biggest challenges facing the electric car industry is what to do with the batteries which are no longer suitable for use in vehicles. Some companies have become megabatteries to safeguard electrical networks; some just let them sit until a suitable solution arises. Ford, according to an announcement made Wednesday, is doing something different.

That something different involves partnering with a company called Redwood Materials to embark on battery recycling to localize production and reduce both costs and waste. Frankly, it’s pretty awesome.

Redwood Materials says its recycling technologies can recover up to 95% of the nickel, cobalt, lithium and copper from a battery cell for reuse and remanufacturing. As the Internet likes to say, “Great, if it’s true”.

Along with the environmental benefit of not having to extract as much new material, the benefit is a massive reduction in costs for companies like Ford, which it hopes to pass on to the people who buy its cars. The cost of batteries made from recycled materials would likely be much less likely to be affected by geopolitical issues and environmental concerns than those made from new materials.

“Ford is making electric vehicles more accessible and affordable with products like the all-electric F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E and E-Transit, and many more to come,” said Jim Farley, president and chief executive officer of Ford. “Our partnership with Redwood Materials will be essential to our plan to build large-scale electric vehicles in America, at the lowest possible cost and with a zero waste approach.”

To prove it’s serious, Ford is investing $ 50 million in its partnership with Redwood Materials, which should fit right in with whatever BlueOvalSK production facility it is building. together with SK Innovations in recent years and with Ford’s global investment of $ 30 billion in electrification.

Now playing:
Check this out:

Here’s why electric vehicles are more advanced than you might think

15:53