Automotive Engineering - September 2023 - 28

Honda taps recycling firms
FOR FUTURE EV BATTERIES
BATTERY RECYCLING FEATURE
electrification and battery recycling, according to Cirba
Solutions' Klanecky. " Automakers are in different phases
with battery recycling and that's based on each OEM's
electrification plans and how aggressive they want to
be about getting fully electric and being able to source
and recycle critical raw materials, " he said. GM was one
of the first automakers to transition from ICE-powered
vehicles to an electrified portfolio and partner with battery
recycling companies.
For Honda, achieving sustainability for its EV busiLithium-ion
batteries are mechanically shredded and separated into various product
streams at the Ascend Elements' EV battery recycling facility in Covington, Georgia.
out of that plant to be able to produce nickel, cobalt, and lithiumbased
salts that will go right back into the battery supply chain, "
Klanecky said. When fully operational, the Lancaster facility will collect,
disassemble and shred materials from Li-ion batteries and then
annually process those materials for use in cathodes that can power
more than 200,000 new EVs.
A recycling revolution in the U.S.
While private and government investments in battery recycling are
increasing capacity within the U.S., the nation is not the global leader.
" China is ahead of the rest of the world in all aspects of Li-ion battery
manufacturing. This includes not only the assembly of the battery
but the entire battery supply chain, which also includes raw material
refinement and battery recycling, " noted O'Kronley.
Virtually every automaker is slanting its operations toward vehicle
ness involves leveraging current engineering knowledge
and developing new business models. " As with
any emerging need, innovation and continuous improvement
will be required to scale full-vehicle and EV
battery recycling to a level needed for efficiently replacing
first-use raw material sources, " noted Cozad.
In June 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy announced
more than $192 million in funding for consumer
product battery recycling, continuing the Battery
Recycling Prize (a program that began in 2019), funding
a new Breakthrough Contest as well as launching an
advanced battery R&D consortium. The consortium will
provide up to $60 million for the next phase of widespread
EV commercialization, including further development
of the domestic battery supply chain and advancement
of the recycling capabilities for EV batteries.
An industry estimate that less than 5% of end-of-life
lithium-ion batteries are being recycled worldwide
today is staggeringly low. But the recycling picture will
change. " In 2035, the industry will see the benefit of
the work being implemented today, including access
to battery collection/drop off points, increased sustainable
content being used in new EV batteries, and a
bigger Clean Energy sector, " Klanecky predicted.
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28 September 2023
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
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Automotive Engineering - September 2023

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