Panasonic Energy said it has agreed to purchase cathode active materials and copper foil for lithium-ion batteries from Redwood Materials. The recycled cathode active materials will be used to manufacture batteries in the company’s new $4 billion factory located in De Soto, Kansas, starting in 2025, and the recycled copper foil will be used to make batteries at Panasonic’s facility in Sparks, Nevada, starting in 2024.
“Recycling and a localizing supply chain are both essential to make the best use of limited natural resources,” said Kazuo Tadanobu, President and CEO of Panasonic Energy, in a press release.
This may amount to 50% of the cost of the battery and add around 900 new workers to Redwood Materials workforce once in full scale production
Source: Cleantechnica: Read The Article
PSR Analysis: Without recycling, demand for Lithium will be such that prices (which have already risen dramatically) will continue to grow, meaning battery costs will escalate hugely. Another article in this section(Are There Enough Materials To Manufacture All The Electric Vehicles Needed?) points to the essential nature of the recycling for batteries, and this is a very good example of recycling on an economic basis rather than a result of policy / legislation. PSR
Guy Youngs is Forecast & Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research
