BMW of North America and Redwood Materials recently announced that they have entered into a partnership to recycle lithium-ion batteries from all-electric, plug-in hybrid-electric, and mild hybrid BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce, and BMW Motorrad vehicles in the United States. This partnership is part of a commitment from both companies to sustainability. It represents the next step towards creating a closed-loop value chain for lithium-ion batteries in the country.
Redwood Materials will work directly with the BMW Group's nearly 700 locations across the United States to recover batteries nearing the end of their lifespans and ensure that critical materials such as nickel, cobalt, lithium, and copper are recycled. These materials are almost infinitely recyclable and are never consumed during a vehicle's usage.
This program aims to ultimately return 95% to 98% of these critical materials to the battery supply chain and use them to build more sustainable vehicles. Redwood's process would have a significantly smaller environmental impact than conventional mining or recycling technologies. Overall, this recycling process would reduce energy consumption by 80%, carbon dioxide emissions by 70%, and water usage by 80%.
Redwood Materials currently operates in Reno, Nevada, where batteries are recycled and manufactured, and a second campus is under construction in Charleston, South Carolina. The Charleston campus is not far from the BMW Group's Plant Spartanburg and Plant Woodruff, where BMW plans to assemble at least six fully electric models before the end of the decade. Plant Spartanburg is currently the largest BMW manufacturing plant in the world.
With this new commitment to sustainability, now is a great time to consider purchasing an electric or hybrid BMW vehicle. Contact BMW of Lincoln today to learn about the many models we have available.