Full Breakdown
GM Launches Closed-Loop EV Battery Recycling Pilot
By Drooid · · How we work
Background and Industry Context
The electric-vehicle (EV) market faces a supply-chain challenge as batteries reach end-of-life. Industry leaders are exploring “second-life” uses and recycling to reduce reliance on newly mined nickel, cobalt, manganese and lithium. General Motors (GM) partnered with battery-recycling firm Cirba Solutions to create a closed-loop process that returns recovered critical minerals to new GM battery cells.
Pilot Process and Results
Cirba Solutions disassembled 80 end-of-life GM EV packs at its Ohio facility, producing “black mass,” a powder containing lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and graphite. After chemical processing, the black mass was refined into 12 metric tons of cathode active material (CAM) composed of 100 % recycled nickel, cobalt and manganese. Ultium Cells—GM’s joint venture with LG Energy Solution—used this CAM to manufacture new cells, which were assembled at GM’s Factory ZERO and Spring Hill plants and installed in production models such as the Cadillac Lyriq, Escalade IQ, Chevrolet Silverado EV Trail Boss and GMC Sierra EV AT4. The pilot moved beyond laboratory testing; the recycled-material cells are already in customer vehicles.
Data and Statistics
- Recovery rates: up to 95 % of nickel, cobalt and manganese, and 80 % of lithium can be reclaimed.
- Material throughput: 80 batteries yielded 12 metric tons of recycled CAM.
- Projected end-of-life volume: nearly 14 million EV batteries worldwide by 2040.
- Future demand: global lithium-ion battery demand is forecast at 4.2–6.8 TWh per year over the next decade.
Official Statements & Responses
Kurt Kelty, GM’s vice president of battery and sustainability, said the recycled CAM met the same high-quality, safety and performance standards required for EVs, and that cells built with recycled material performed on par with those using virgin inputs. David Klanecky, president and CEO of Cirba Solutions, highlighted the partnership as a demonstration of how recycling can create a closed-loop supply of critical minerals, strengthening manufacturing competitiveness and national security. Melissa Flaherty, GM’s director of Sustainable EV Battery Ecosystem, emphasized that the pilot proves an EV battery’s value can extend well beyond its first life.
Verbatim Quotes
- “This new cathode active material was validated to the same high quality, safety and performance standards required for use in an electric vehicle, and cells made with recycled materials performed as well as those made from virgin material,” — Kurt Kelty, GM
- “This pilot shows that the value of an EV battery can extend well beyond its first life, and that strong partnerships across the battery ecosystem are essential to building a more circular, resilient future for battery technology.” — Melissa Flaherty, GM
Why It Matters
Turning end-of-life packs into new cells illustrates a pathway to lower battery costs, reduce mining impacts, and improve supply-chain resilience. Meeting OEM performance standards with 100 % recycled nickel, cobalt and manganese suggests that closed-loop recycling could become a mainstream component of EV manufacturing, supporting the surge in battery demand while mitigating resource constraints.
What’s Next
GM and Cirba Solutions plan to expand the closed-loop model as retired-battery volumes grow, aiming to add domestic processing capacity for EV, energy-storage and consumer-device applications. The broader industry is watching the pilot as a benchmark for scaling recycled-material battery production.
