Tesla co-founder seeks to solve California’s battery waste problem

Electrical autos could also be cleaner than gasoline or diesel gas vehicles and vans. That doesn’t imply they’re clear. Their batteries rely on poisonous metals whose mining and improper disposal trigger environmental degradation, to not point out child-labor abuses in supply international locations such because the Democratic Republic of Congo.

For the final 5 years, a Nevada firm run by a Tesla co-founder has been trying to deal with such issues with a battery recycling heart in Nevada. On Thursday, the corporate, Redwood Supplies, introduced a used battery assortment program for California, with Ford and Volvo as project-launch companions.

The automakers will work with their very own sellers and with battery dismantlers to bundle and transport lifeless or near-dead electrical automobile batteries by truck to Redwood’s plant in Carson Metropolis. There, battery supplies equivalent to cobalt and copper will likely be extracted and reworked into new battery elements, then bought to battery makers — beginning with Panasonic’s battery plant in Sparks, Nev.

A strong recycling system wouldn’t solely assist the setting, it might cut back a few of the dependency of the U.S. on abroad mining of uncommon earth minerals and different battery substances, the processing of which is dominated by China.

The economics are unclear, as are the enterprise prospects for Redwood. Electrical automobile batteries should not simple to recycle, and growing untried processes is pricey.

Redwood is a non-public firm based by Tesla co-founder J.B. Straubel, who left the electrical carmaker to launch the enterprise. Straubel is a battery skilled and a vital however largely unsung contributor to Tesla’s success.

Market-size figures are laborious to come back by on this nascent business, however in accordance with London consulting agency Round Power Storage, there a couple of hundred corporations worldwide that recycle lithium ion batteries or plan to take action. Most are in China and South Korea. However logistics and transportation account for an enormous share of recycling prices, Straubel stated. California is by far the most important marketplace for electrical autos within the U.S., so feeding lifeless batteries throughout the border into Nevada can preserve these prices manageable, he stated.

The Carson Metropolis plant at the moment employs about 300 employees. Straubel stated that because the EV market grows, the corporate will construct new crops, beginning with Europe and a further plant within the U.S. Requested whether or not California will likely be a candidate for a brand new U.S. plant, Straubel demurred. In any case, he stated, Redwood will likely be establishing operations in California to gather batteries and put together them for transport.

Redwood isn’t restricted to automotive battery recycling. It is usually inviting customers to ship of their battery-powered electronics to Redwood.