Rivian and Redwood Materials have expanded their partnership to cover electric vehicle (EV) battery recycling, battery reuse and stationary energy storage. The collaboration includes recycling battery manufacturing scrap generated by Rivian, processing end-of-life EV battery packs and deploying stationary battery storage at Rivian’s manufacturing plant in Normal, Illinois. The expanded agreement strengthens Redwood Materials’ role in supporting Rivian’s battery recycling and energy storage requirements.
Under the partnership, Redwood Materials collects Rivian battery packs through the automaker’s nationwide service centre network when they are no longer suitable for use in vehicles. Each battery pack is evaluated to determine whether it can be repurposed for stationary energy storage or should be recycled. The arrangement also extends Redwood’s responsibilities to include recycling battery scrap generated during Rivian’s manufacturing operations.
The expanded collaboration builds on an existing energy storage project announced in April 2026. The project involves deploying 10 megawatt-hours (MWh) of stationary battery storage using repurposed Rivian battery packs at the company’s manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois. The system is intended to provide dispatchable energy while helping reduce electricity costs and peak demand on the grid.
The partnership also focuses on extending the useful life of EV batteries after they are no longer suitable for automotive applications. Battery packs that remain suitable for further use can be redeployed in stationary energy storage systems at Rivian’s manufacturing facilities or other locations. This approach allows batteries to be assessed for a second-life application before being directed for material recovery.
When batteries are no longer suitable for energy storage, Redwood Materials can process them to recover valuable materials. The company’s recycling technology is capable of recovering critical minerals, including lithium, nickel, cobalt and copper, at rates exceeding 95%, according to the report. Recycling these materials supports the development of a circular domestic battery supply chain in the United States.
The expanded partnership brings battery collection, reuse, energy storage and recycling together within a single collaboration. By managing batteries at different stages of their lifecycle, Rivian and Redwood Materials aim to support the reuse of battery assets, recover critical materials and deploy additional energy storage capacity. The agreement builds on their existing work to use repurposed Rivian batteries for stationary energy storage at the Normal, Illinois, manufacturing plant.
