Redwood Materials is a lithium-ion battery (LIB) recycling facility located outside of Carson City, NV. Founded in 2017 by JB Straubel, the facility is located in the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center. According to the Redwoods website, the plant aims to produce battery material for more than 1 million electric vehicles every year. In 2023 Redwoods had around 800 employees, a number they expect to increase to 1,500 by 2030. The facility partners with companies such as Toyota, Ford, Panasonic, Volkswagen, and Lyft.
Lithium-Ion batteries are used to power electric vehicles (EVs). As the number of EVs on the road increases in the coming years, demand for LIBs and the raw materials used to manufacture them will soar. Precious metals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel are often extracted at great cost to the environment, to miners, and to communities surrounding the extraction zones. LIBs tend to have a lifespan of seven to twenty years after which, if managed properly, they can be recycled and used to manufacture new batteries. Recycling these batteries has the potential to reduce the quantity of metals that needs to be mined and also reduce energy expended through the transportation of these metals. With the growth of the EV market there are already an increasing number of batteries reaching the end of their life and this number will continue to rise as the number of EVs on the road increases.
Nonetheless, battery recycling comes with risks. There are known factors such as the release of certain toxic substances. Then there are risks that, while not expected, could cause serious harm to local communities and environments. These include chemical spills and battery fires. Finally, worker safety is an important element of LIB recycling as the process involves hazardous materials.
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