Even battery packs that have been involved in crashes or a fire have valuable materials that can be recycled and reused, according to Redwood Materials.In 2024, a quarter million aging electric vehicles will be ready for dismantling and recycling. That could be more than a 30% jump from 2023 — and Redwood Materials, which aims to be the country's leading EV battery recycler, is ramping up its operations to prepare for the coming onslaught.
“Next year is kind of the first major wave of EVs coming off the road, due to the early ramp of EVs in the 2012 to 2014 time range. That’s across full EVs but we also see a significant number of hybrids, primarily Prius, and plug-ins,” Cal Lankton, Redwood’s chief commercial officer, told.
“Putting them into landfills would make no sense,” said Russ Spaulding, owner of Spaulding Auto Dismantlers in Tacoma, Washington, which works with Redwood. That’s because even old lead acid batteries, which can be recycled, sell for up to $12 while hybrid and EV packs go for much more.