Redwood Materials is collecting personal electronics to recycle into new electric vehicle batteries. Photo: Redwood Materials
With global demand for lithium-ion batteries expected to grow by more than 500% in the next decade, it's one way to help seed creation of a domestic battery supply chain as envisioned under the climate, health cost reduction and tax law enacted in August.Long term, the auto industry is aiming to create a closed-loop supply of critical battery materials that can be reused in new batteries, reducing the need for imports and avoiding further environmental damage from mining.
Redwood is already partnering with the German automaker to recycle end-of-life batteries from VW and Audi electric cars. It has similar arrangements with Toyota, Ford, Volvo and others. This is the first time an automaker is collecting household lithium-ion batteries and rechargeable devices that can be recycled domestically to create new electric vehicle batteries.Lithium-ion batteries contain varying amounts of critical minerals such as cobalt, copper, nickel and lithium — metals that can be recycled almost infinitely.
Since the metals don't change or degrade, old devices can become new EVs without any performance or battery life tradeoffs, according to Redwood CEO J.B. Straubel, a co-founder of Tesla.Less than 5% of rechargeable batteries in devices such as cell phones, laptops, e-bikes, e-scooters, electric toothbrushes, vacuum cleaners and power drills get recycled today — mostly because it's just not easy to do.
How much?
Watch. They’ll soon realize the cost of recycling will be higher than new batteries. All these are either going to collect dust in a warehouse or shipped to some poor countrys landfills.
Sure ill sell you my old laptops.