GM’s Recycled Minerals Power New EVs

General Motors (GM) has reached an important milestone in its efforts to make electric vehicle batteries more sustainable. Through a closed-loop recycling pilot program, materials recovered from used GM EV batteries were refined and reused to produce new battery cells for electric vehicles.

The pilot involved 80 end-of-life GM EV batteries, which were collected and recycled by partner Cirba Solutions. These batteries were processed into “black mass,” a mixture of valuable materials recovered from lithium-ion batteries. The black mass was then further refined to recover key minerals such as nickel, cobalt and manganese.

GM and its partners used these recycled materials to build battery cells containing 100% recycled nickel, cobalt and manganese, including minerals recovered from retired GM battery packs. These materials must meet the same strict safety, quality and performance standards as newly mined materials before being used in new batteries.

Battery recycling could help reduce the need for newly extracted minerals, lower battery costs over time and strengthen the EV supply chain. Current recycling technologies can recover up to 95% of nickel, cobalt and manganese, as well as up to 80% of lithium, depending on the battery chemistry and recycling process.

GM’s achievement shows how EV batteries can continue to provide value even after they are no longer suitable for use in vehicles. By recovering and reusing important materials, the company is working toward a more circular battery system, one in which today’s EV batteries can help power the electric vehicles of tomorrow.

SOURCE