American EV manufacturer Rivian is set to expand its ongoing partnership with circular battery firm Redwood Materials, with Redwood now set to handle the recycling of the manufacturer’s end-of-life EV battery packs, in addition to its ongoing work to supply battery energy storage to Rivian’s EV manufacturing plants.
Redwood Materials to take on end-of-life Rivian battery packs
Under the extended agreement, Redwood will now collect end-of-life Rivian EV batteries, before then assessing whether they can be repurposed for battery energy storage systems, or whether they will be sent for recycling. End-of-life EV batteries might not be up to the task of powering an EV anymore, but for stationary applications, they still retain a useful amount of capacity, often making them the perfect solution for a more sustainable and more affordable battery storage system.
It builds on the start of the partnership back in April, which has seen over 100 second-life Rivian battery packs be turned into a 10MWh battery energy storage system at its EV manufacturing site in Normal, Illinois. When these second-life batteries then reach end of life, Redwood will also recycle them again, with the aim of recovering 95% of the critical materials such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt within – allowing these elements to go straight back into the US’s battery supply chain.
The partnership is likely to come into full swing over the next few years, as more of the early Rivian models begin to reach their end of life.
RJ Scaringe, Rivian Founder and CEO, commented:
“Giving Rivian battery packs a second life in stationary storage is a massive unlock for the energy transition. By partnering with JB and the Redwood team we’re turning retired EV batteries into a powerful tool to make the grid more reliable and lower energy costs for everyone.”
JB Straubel, Redwood Materials Founder and CEO, added:
“Every Rivian battery pack that comes back to us is a potential source of domestic grid energy storage in addition to critical materials. Redwood’s unique ability to integrate and redeploy Rivian batteries with our technology is an opportunity to enable fast, flexible and more cost-efficient energy storage. As the demand and cost for energy keeps rising, working with companies like Rivian is how we help meet these challenges.”
