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The battery material and recycling company Redwood Materials has agreed with Toyota Motor North America to work together establishing a remanufacturing and recycling program for its hybrid batteries. Initially, this collaboration will focus on the collection, testing and recycling of Toyota hybrid electric vehicle batteries. The companies will then look to expand into other areas such as battery health screening and data management, remanufacturing and battery material supply throughout North America.
This is the first time Redwood Materials take a step to offer not only with recycling but reuse of batteries. Even if the major part of Toyota's hybrid batteries (all non-plug in vehicles) are not lithium-ion but nickel metal hydride batteries they are still an important source of nickel, cobalt and copper. In contrast to lithium-ion batteries, cells with nickel metal hydride batteries also contain rare earths.
Remanufacturing of Toyota's hybrid batteries is already a well functioning business with many both small and large companies offering remanufactured packs. Historically this has kept the batteries from being recycled in large scale. Toyota has been working with several players in the field including Kinsbursky Brothers/Retriev a business which now is Cirba Solutions. By becoming directly involved in reuse and remanufacturing Toyota and Redwood increase the likelyhood of also recycling cells that won't make it for reuse.
Read more about Redwood and Toyota's deal here.