Redwood Materials, the battery recycling company co-founded by Tesla’s J.B. Straubel, is increasing its focus on recovering lithium-ion batteries involved in accidents and natural disasters. In a recent blog post, Redwood detailed its collaborations with local and national organizations to efficiently manage and recycle batteries affected in emergency scenarios.
One recent example occurred on the I-15 highway, where an overturned truck transporting lithium-ion batteries led to a fire and temporarily closed a section of the highway. Redwood worked with Graymar Environmental to recover and safely handle the damaged batteries. The company reported receiving approximately 70,000 pounds of battery materials from the incident, enough to produce around 70 electric vehicle batteries.
Redwood Materials also described its involvement in the recovery of batteries following the Maui wildfires. Working with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Redwood helped manage lithium-ion batteries impacted by the fires, including those from residential storage, golf carts, and electric vehicles. These batteries were then transported to Redwood’s Nevada facility, where materials such as nickel, cobalt, copper, and lithium were recycled and returned to the supply chain.
These efforts underscore Redwood Materials’ commitment to supporting battery recovery and recycling in emergency situations. Additional details are available in the full post on Redwood’s official website.
