Hyperdrive

EV Metals Will Come From Dead Batteries at New US Plant

  • Startup opens Ohio facility to pull nickel, cobalt from waste
  • Plant joins growing US supply chain for batteries used in EVs

Nth Cycle's electro-extraction unit.

Source: Nth Cycle

Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

A new US plant will soon offer a solution for tight supplies of critical metals: Pull them out of dead batteries in a process that produces fewer emissions than competitors.

Recycling startup Nth Cycle is opening its first full-scale plant in Fairfield, Ohio, to produce a mix of nickel and cobalt — key ingredients of the lithium-ion batteries that power smart phones and electric vehicles. The company will hold a “sneak peak” of the plant for members of the community Monday, with full commissioning planned this fall, said Chief Executive Officer Megan O’Connor. The company hasn’t disclosed a precise cost for the plant, but says it’s investing $25 million to $30 million in the facility.