Worcester Polytechnic to research EV battery recycling

The Southfield, Michigan-based United States Advanced Battery Consortium LLC (USABC), a subsidiary of the U.S. Council for Automotive Research LLC (USCAR), has awarded a $2 million contract to Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Massachusetts, for electric vehicle (EV) battery recycling technology development.

The contract award, which includes a 50 percent cost share, funds a “Phase III, 36-month project with WPI that began in March,” says USABC. The program’s focus is to lower the cost and improve the performance of recycled battery cathode materials relative to equivalent commercially sourced materials. The Phase III program will focus on a higher nickel content material (versus Phase II) while also increasing the recycled content ceiling of the recycled material.

“This battery recycling contract with WPI is part of USABC’s broad battery technology research and development program,” says Steve Zimmer, executive director of USCAR. “Programs like this are critical to advancing the technology needed to meet both near- and long-term goals that will enable broader scale vehicle electrification.”

WPI researchers, in particular those at the Center for Resource Recovery and Recycling, have been involved in several recycling-related projects, including one involving obsolete electronics and another the recyclability of automotive aluminum. 

Enabled by a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), USABC says its focus is on developing electrochemical energy storage technologies that enable widespread commercialization in EV applications. Founded in 1992, the goal of USCAR is to further strengthen the technology base of the domestic auto industry through cooperative research and development.