Rivian expands Redwood partnership to recycle battery scrap and end-of-life packs

Rivian and Redwood Materials have expanded their partnership, and Redwood will recycle the automaker’s battery production scrap and end-of-life EV packs.

The expansion builds on the companies’ existing project, announced in April 2026, which is deploying 10 MWh of battery energy storage from repurposed Rivian packs at Rivian’s plant in Normal, Illinois.

Redwood collects Rivian battery packs that are no longer suitable for in-vehicle use through Rivian’s nationwide network of service centers. Each pack is then evaluated to decide whether to repurpose it for energy storage at Rivian’s manufacturing facilities or elsewhere, or to recycle it.

Redwood says its process can recover critical minerals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and copper at rates exceeding 95%.

“Every Rivian battery pack that comes back to us is a potential source of domestic grid energy storage in addition to critical materials,” said JB Straubel, Redwood Materials’ founder and CEO. “Redwood’s unique ability to integrate and redeploy Rivian batteries with our technology is an opportunity to enable fast, flexible and more cost-efficient energy storage.”

“Giving Rivian battery packs a second life in stationary storage is a massive unlock for the energy transition,” said RJ Scaringe, Rivian’s founder and CEO. “By partnering with JB and the Redwood team we’re turning retired EV batteries into a powerful tool to make the grid more reliable and lower energy costs for everyone.”

Source: Rivian