U.S. startup Redwood Materials Inc. on Tuesday mentioned Toyota Motor North America has grow to be the newest auto trade big to hitch its complete electrical car battery recycling initiative.
Redwood Materials, whose companions embody Ford Motor Co. and EV battery maker Panasonic Holdings Corp., goals to decrease EV prices by lessening dependence on imported supplies whereas additionally decreasing the environmental impression.
The five-year-old agency has targeted preliminary work at a 175-acre campus in northern Nevada, however plans to construct a good bigger advanced in southeastern U.S., its CEO and founder, JB Straubel, mentioned in an interview. Straubel was a co-founder of Tesla Inc. and was the EV maker’s chief technical officer.
The new facility would be capable of provide Toyota’s deliberate $1.3 billion battery plant in North Carolina, in addition to Ford’s deliberate battery vegetation in Tennessee and Kentucky with South Korea’s SK Innovation Co.
Redwood Materials is ramping up U.S. manufacturing of anode and cathode parts to 100 gigawatt-hours by 2025, sufficient to provide batteries for 1 million EVs a 12 months. With its second facility, the manufacturing goal will likely be 500 gWh by 2030, sufficient to provide 5 million EVs a 12 months or extra, mentioned Straubel.
Toyota has been constructing hybrid electrical automobiles beneath the Prius title for greater than twenty years. With a automobile’s common lifespan roughly 12 years, some early Prius fashions will likely be reaching the top of their helpful lives.
Once out of service, their nickel steel hydride batteries will be recycled and supplies corresponding to nickel and copper reintroduced into the battery provide chain, the place they will complement uncooked supplies from mines.
Meanwhile, Straubel mentioned Redwood Materials is having “various discussions” with Tesla, however has no offers to announce but. Tesla’s companions additionally embody Panasonic.
Source: www.autonews.com
