General Motors has introduced its first production vehicles with battery cells made from recycled materials. The cathode active material in these cells is made entirely from recycled nickel, cobalt, and manganese, sourced from decommissioned batteries of GM vehicles.
The raw materials were recovered and processed by partner Cirba Solutions. The company collected 80 end-of-life high-voltage batteries, which were processed at a recycling facility in Ohio, USA.
The processing yielded more than 12 tonnes of new cathode active material, with the nickel, cobalt, and manganese being 100 per cent recycled. This material met the same quality, performance, and safety requirements as material sourced from primary raw materials.
Recycled Materials in Series Production
GM’s battery joint venture, Ultium Cells, handled the production of the new cells. The cells were then assembled into battery modules and packs at GM’s Factory ZERO and Spring Hill plants.
The first vehicles to feature these recycled-material cells include the Cadillac Lyriq, Lyriq-V, Vistiq, Escalade IQ, and Escalade IQL, as well as the Chevrolet Silverado EV Trail Boss and the GMC Sierra EV AT4.
General Motors states that the cells demonstrated performance comparable to those made from new raw materials during testing. The company views the pilot project as a test for a future growing source of raw materials.
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Sustainability and Cost Benefits
Current recycling processes can recover up to 95 per cent of the nickel, cobalt, and manganese, and up to 80 per cent of the lithium, depending on the process and cell chemistry. Recovering and reintegrating these materials into cell manufacturing can reduce long-term demand for newly mined raw materials and improve supply security.
For General Motors, regional value creation is also critical, with the batteries being processed in North America and the recovered materials fed back into local cell and vehicle production.
The closed-loop system is significant from a sustainability perspective, as it reduces waste and the need for primary raw materials. General Motors is pursuing a multi-stage approach, with batteries being used in vehicles for as long as possible, then refurbished or repurposed for stationary storage applications, and only recycled at the end of their lifecycle.
Comparison to Other Initiatives
Porsche has also unveiled a similar pilot project, producing battery cells with cathode active material made entirely from recycled raw materials. However, Porsche’s approach includes lithium in addition to nickel, cobalt, and manganese, and the cells are still in the testing phase.
Unlike General Motors, Porsche has not yet integrated the recycling cells into customer vehicles. Porsche aims to use the findings as a basis for potential future use in series production batteries and intends to close the loop all the way to series production in the future.
Future Plans and Partnerships
General Motors plans to work with Redwood Materials to repurpose around 10,000 batteries from electric vehicles for stationary applications. The company is also committed to continuing its closed-loop recycling system, with the goal of reducing waste and improving supply security.
