General Motors has launched production vehicles equipped with battery cells featuring cathode active material derived entirely from recycled nickel, cobalt, and manganese. The materials were recovered from 80 decommissioned high-voltage batteries collected from Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC electric vehicles.
The recycling process was conducted in partnership with Cirba Solutions at a facility in Ohio, resulting in over 12 tonnes of cathode active material. Ultium Cells, a joint venture between GM and LG Energy Solution, manufactured the cells, which were then assembled at the Factory ZERO and Spring Hill plants.
The recycled-material cells are now featured in customer-delivered models, including the Cadillac Lyriq, Lyriq-V, Vistiq, Escalade IQ, and Escalade IQL, as well as the Chevrolet Silverado EV Trail Boss and GMC Sierra EV AT4. GM reports that these cells meet all performance and safety standards.
GM aims to scale this closed-loop system to improve supply security and reduce reliance on mined raw materials. The company notes that current processes can recover up to 95 percent of nickel, cobalt, and manganese, and up to 80 percent of lithium, depending on the specific cell chemistry.
The company also plans to repurpose approximately 10,000 batteries for stationary storage in collaboration with Redwood Materials. Meanwhile, Porsche is conducting a similar pilot project with Cylib, though its recycled-material cells are currently limited to prototype testing.
