GM and LG Energy Solution to work with Li-Cycle on battery cell material scrap recycling
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Ultium Cells and Li-Cycle enter an agreement to recycle up to 100% of the raw materials left over from battery cell manufacturing. Image: GM
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The General Motors and LG Energy Solution joint venture (LES), Ultium Cells, is to recycle up to 100% of the material scrap from battery cell manufacturing under an agreement with Canadian lithium-ion battery recycler Li-Cycle.
Ultium said the hydrometallurgical recycling process will allow it to recycle materials, including cobalt, nickel, lithium, graphite, copper, manganese and aluminium.
Li-Cycle’s president and CEO and co-founder, Ajay Kochhar, said: "Our combined efforts with Ultium Cells will be instrumental in redirecting battery manufacturing scrap from landfills and returning a substantial amount of valuable battery-grade materials back into the battery supply chain.”
"This partnership is a critical step forward in advancing our proven lithium-ion resource recovery technology as a more sustainable alternative to mining.”
Refurbished packs
GM said since 2013 it has recycled or reused 100% of the battery packs received from customers, including any packs replaced through warranty service. Most current GM electric vehicles are repaired with refurbished packs.
Ultium and Li-Cycle will start the new scrap recycling process later this year.
Ultium’s battery cells use a proprietary chemistry featuring LES’ NCMA (nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminium) cathode, which requires 70% less cobalt than existing NCM (nickel-cobalt-manganese) cells.
Last month, Ultium Cells confirmed a $2.3bn (£1.7bn) investment plan to build an electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility in the US state of Tennessee.
The 2.8 million square-foot facility in Spring Hill, Tennessee, will be a sister plant to one under construction in Ohio.
Related articles in our archive:
GM and LG Energy Solution investing $2.3bn in Tennessee to build second Ultium battery plant
Ultium said the hydrometallurgical recycling process will allow it to recycle materials, including cobalt, nickel, lithium, graphite, copper, manganese and aluminium.
Li-Cycle’s president and CEO and co-founder, Ajay Kochhar, said: "Our combined efforts with Ultium Cells will be instrumental in redirecting battery manufacturing scrap from landfills and returning a substantial amount of valuable battery-grade materials back into the battery supply chain.”
"This partnership is a critical step forward in advancing our proven lithium-ion resource recovery technology as a more sustainable alternative to mining.”
Refurbished packs
GM said since 2013 it has recycled or reused 100% of the battery packs received from customers, including any packs replaced through warranty service. Most current GM electric vehicles are repaired with refurbished packs.
Ultium and Li-Cycle will start the new scrap recycling process later this year.
Ultium’s battery cells use a proprietary chemistry featuring LES’ NCMA (nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminium) cathode, which requires 70% less cobalt than existing NCM (nickel-cobalt-manganese) cells.
Last month, Ultium Cells confirmed a $2.3bn (£1.7bn) investment plan to build an electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility in the US state of Tennessee.
The 2.8 million square-foot facility in Spring Hill, Tennessee, will be a sister plant to one under construction in Ohio.
Related articles in our archive:
GM and LG Energy Solution investing $2.3bn in Tennessee to build second Ultium battery plant