Toyota, Redword Materials to work on battery recycling

Toyota Motor North The usa is the most current automaker to collaborate with battery recycling company Redwood Materials as it will work to supply a much more sustainable battery supply chain for its electrical motor vehicle thrust.

The shift will come as Toyota is getting one of the first automotive brands to accumulate finish-of-existence batteries. The company’s Prius, courting to 1997, was the first mass-industry gasoline-electric powered hybrid motor vehicle, and its batteries are amongst the very first to reach recycling age en masse.

Redwood Components, founded by previous Tesla Chief Technology Officer JB Straubel, aims to break down conclude-of-life batteries and use their resources in new ones. Ford, Volvo and Tesla have previously struck offers with the firm.

“Toyota aided pave the way for clear transportation with the introduction of the Toyota Prius additional than 20 a long time back. Their dedication not only to promote hundreds of thousands of electrified vehicles this decade but to make sure their circularity into the long run is a essential move for electrification,” Straubel mentioned in a press launch final 7 days.

Making a “round ecosystem” for Toyota’s batteries is the extensive-term intention of the collaboration. This would include Redwood Resources breaking down Toyota’s batteries and sending their products back to the company’s North American vegetation to be produced into new batteries.

This could reduce some of the offer chain disruptions the sector has been dealing with, in addition to reducing out environmentally hazardous harvesting practices for “virgin” components this kind of as lithium, cobalt and other metals.

Alexis Georgeson, vice president of communications and govt relations for Redwood Components, reported the recycling of automobile batteries is very important for the sustainability of the EV marketplace on the continent.

“Localizing and onshoring this is truly crucial to be able to generate up electrification in this region, and we are observing extra and much more automakers that are recognizing that,” Georgeson reported. “Both of those on recycling as very well as on sourcing the battery elements a lot more locally that go into their mobile producing.”

Even so, recycled resources will not be going into Toyota’s EV batteries in the around long run.

Matthew Stich, basic manager overseeing Toyota’s Battery Lifecycle Methods crew, said this collaboration will include amassing, testing and recycling Toyota’s hybrid electric auto batteries.

He did recommend the likelihood of content remanufacturing, information administration and battery well being screening in the potential.