EV Batteries and the Circular Economy
An EV battery’s usefulness does not end when it leaves a vehicle. Batteries can be reused, repurposed and recycled—keeping valuable materials in circulation instead of treating them as waste.
EV Battery
Valuable energy storage designed for years of productive use.
A battery is a resource—not a disposable product.
One of the most common questions about electric vehicles is what happens to the battery when it reaches the end of its useful life in a car. The answer is what makes EVs part of a circular economy rather than a one-way pipeline of waste.
Does an older EV battery simply go to a landfill?
No. When a battery no longer delivers the range a driver needs, it may still have significant storage capacity. It can be evaluated for reuse in another application or sent to a specialized recycler so its valuable materials can be recovered.
Use it. Reuse it. Recycle it.
EV batteries can move through several productive stages before their recovered materials are used to help manufacture new products.
Power Electric Driving
EV batteries are engineered to deliver dependable performance through years of charging, driving and changing weather conditions.
First LifeStore Energy Again
Batteries that no longer meet automotive performance requirements may still be useful for stationary storage, including renewable energy, backup power and grid-support applications.
Second LifeRecover the Materials
Specialized recycling processes can recover valuable materials such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and copper for use in future batteries and other products.
Back Into ProductionKeeping battery materials in use creates lasting value.
A circular battery supply chain can support cleaner transportation, responsible resource use and a more resilient domestic energy economy.
Less New Mining
Recovering existing materials can reduce demand for newly extracted raw materials.
Lower Impact
Reuse and recycling help reduce waste and the environmental impact of producing new materials.
More Energy Storage
Second-life batteries can support renewable energy and stationary storage projects.
Stronger Supply Chains
Domestic recovery and processing can keep valuable battery materials closer to manufacturers.
Redwood Materials is helping close the loop.
Redwood Materials is developing a closed-loop battery supply chain in North America. Its work focuses on collecting lithium-ion batteries, recovering critical materials and returning those materials to battery manufacturing.
The company is also developing second-life energy-storage applications for batteries that still have usable capacity, extending their productive life before recycling.
Batteries provide years of service in electric vehicles.
Batteries with remaining capacity can support stationary energy-storage projects.
Critical materials are recovered for use in new battery components.
Recovered materials help support the next generation of batteries.
The bottom line
EV batteries are not designed to be disposable. Through long vehicle service, second-life energy storage and advanced recycling, they can become part of a circular system that keeps valuable materials in use and supports a cleaner energy future.