General Motors has completed a major closed-loop battery recycling pilot, producing new electric vehicle batteries with cathode material made using 100% recycled nickel, cobalt, and manganese. The milestone moves battery recycling beyond laboratory testing and into GM’s active vehicle supply chain. GM Recycled EV Batteries demonstrates how critical minerals recovered from end-of-life battery packs can be refined and returned to new battery production.
The project involved GM, battery recycler Cirba Solutions, and Ultium Cells, GM’s battery manufacturing joint venture with LG Energy Solution. The first production vehicles using these recycled materials have now rolled off assembly lines and are heading to customers.
What Did GM Achieve?
GM has built new EV battery cells using cathode active material containing 100% recycled nickel, cobalt, and manganese recovered from old GM EV batteries. The recycled material was processed to meet battery-grade specifications before being used in new cells and vehicle battery packs.
How GM Turned Old Batteries Into New EV Cells
The closed-loop recycling program began with 80 end-of-life GM EV battery packs. Cirba Solutions disassembled the packs and transported the recovered materials to its lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Ohio.
The batteries were shredded into black mass, a concentrated intermediate material containing valuable minerals from lithium-ion batteries. The black mass was then chemically refined to recover nickel, cobalt, and manganese.
These recovered materials underwent additional validation to ensure they met the required quality, safety, and performance standards for battery manufacturing. They were subsequently converted into new cathode active material (CAM) containing 100% recycled nickel, cobalt, and manganese.
From Recycled Minerals to New EV Batteries
Ultium Cells used the recycled CAM to manufacture new battery cells. GM then assembled those cells into battery modules and packs at its Factory ZERO in Michigan and Spring Hill facility in Tennessee.
The project has now progressed beyond a research demonstration. The first production EVs equipped with batteries containing the recycled cathode materials have rolled off assembly lines and are being delivered to customers.
Models associated with the deployment include:
- Cadillac LYRIQ
- Chevrolet Silverado EV
- GMC Sierra EV
GM says the recycled materials can be integrated into battery manufacturing without compromising the required performance and quality standards.
Why 100% Recycled Critical Minerals Matter
The achievement highlights the potential of a circular battery supply chain, where materials from retired EV batteries are recovered and returned to new battery production instead of leaving the supply chain.
GM Recycled EV Batteries could help reduce reliance on newly mined nickel, cobalt and manganese while creating an additional domestic source of critical battery materials.
The need for such infrastructure is expected to increase rapidly. According to figures cited in the announcement, nearly 14 million EV batteries could reach the end of their useful lives globally by 2040. At the same time, global lithium-ion battery demand is projected to reach around 4.2 to 6.8 terawatt-hours annually over the next decade.
Building a More Resilient Battery Supply Chain
GM says expanding domestic recycling and processing could strengthen the battery supply chain while reducing dependence on virgin critical minerals. Recycling infrastructure could also eventually process batteries from energy-storage systems, data centers and consumer electronics.
Melissa Flaherty, GM’s Director of Sustainable EV Battery Ecosystem, said the pilot demonstrates that an EV battery’s value can extend beyond its first life and highlighted the importance of collaboration across the battery ecosystem.
Cirba Solutions President and CEO David Klanecky similarly described battery recycling as an important part of the broader battery supply chain.
With GM Recycled EV Batteries now entering customer vehicles, the pilot offers a practical example of how end-of-life EV batteries can feed materials back into new battery production and support a more circular electric mobility ecosystem.
Key Takeaways
- 80 end-of-life GM EV battery packs were used in the pilot.
- Recovered batteries were processed into black mass in Ohio.
- New CAM contained 100% recycled nickel, cobalt, and manganese.
- Ultium Cells manufactured the recycled-material battery cells.
- GM assembled battery packs at Factory ZERO and Spring Hill.
- The first production EVs using the recycled materials are heading to customers.
- The initiative demonstrates a closed-loop EV battery recycling model.
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