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The battery recycling startup Blue Whale Materials has acquired the Greenfield, Indiana-based battery testing company Eclipse Energy. Through the acquisition Blue Whale Materials, which is about to set up several pre-processing units in the United States, will also be able to offer testing and evaluation of batteries.
Eclipse Energy is specialised in testing and certification of batteries. The services include performance tests, thermal cycling, aging analysis as well as abuse and safety testing. One of the founders is the son to and previous co-worker with Bob Galyen, former CTO of CATL who also served on the company's board.
The company will form the basis in Blue Whale Materials' new subsidiary BW Energy and Innovation.
The investment can be seen as a diversification into a new area but also an enabler for Blue Whale Materials. The company which raised $80M from Ara Partners in 2022 with the aim to set up a network of pre-processing facilities in the US and Europe, has its roots in trading of batteries, exporting batteries for recycling to Asia. With testing technology and expertise inhouse the company's ability to trade used but working batteries improves and may also open up a door for export of batteries if pre-processing doesn't prove to the most valuable option. The business will also provide important insights to the company about the potential in reuse and remanufacturing. All in all it enables the company to more effectively source batteries for both reuse and recycling.
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