BMW of North America and Redwood Materials are partnering to recycle lithium-ion batteries from all electric, plug-in hybrid-electric, and mild hybrid BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce, and BMW Motorrad vehicles in the US. The partnership demonstrates a shared commitment to sustainability, and is the next step towards creating a closed-loop circular value chain for lithium-ion batteries in the US.

Redwood Materials will work directly with BMW Group’s extensive network of close to 700 locations across the US—including dealerships, distribution centers, and other facilities—to recover end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and ensure critical minerals such as nickel, cobalt, lithium, and copper are recycled and refined.

Ultimately, 95% - 98% of these critical minerals will be returned to the battery supply chain to build increasingly sustainable electric vehicles. The materials inside of a battery are nearly infinitely recyclable and are not consumed or lost in their lifetime of usage in the vehicle. Additionally, Redwood’s processes have a significantly smaller environmental impact than conventional mining or other recycling technologies, reducing energy by 80%, CO₂ emissions by 70%, and water by 80%.

Redwood Materials currently operates a campus in Reno, Nevada where battery components are recycled, refined, and manufactured. A second Redwood Materials campus is under construction in Charleston, South Carolina, not far from BMW Group Plant Spartanburg and Plant Woodruff, where BMW will assemble at least six fully electric models, and the high-voltage battery packs for those vehicles, before the end of the decade. The company’s battery cell manufacturing partner, AESC is also nearby in Florence, SC.