Redwood Materials

What Redwood Materials does

Redwood Materials, founded in 2017 by former Tesla co-founder and CTO JB Straubel, operates an integrated circular battery supply chain platform with two interconnected business lines. The first, Redwood Materials (Critical Materials), collects end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and production scrap through a national logistics network spanning 1,000+ VW/Audi dealerships, 700+ BMW Group locations, the LKQ dismantler network, Rotary Club collection points, and consumer direct-ship programs; the company then processes over 20 GWh of batteries annually (the equivalent of ~250,000 EVs, representing roughly 90% of North American lithium-ion recycling) using proprietary hydrometallurgical recycling that recovers more than 95% of critical materials (lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper) at 80% less energy, 70% less CO2, and 80% less water than mining-based processing. Recovered materials are refined into battery-grade anode copper foil and cathode active material sold to North American cell manufacturers including Panasonic (for its Kansas plant), Toyota, and Ultium Cells, with materials production capacity targeted to scale from 100 GWh to 500 GWh annually by 2030.

Name

Redwood Materials

Legal name

Redwood Materials Inc.

Website

https://redwoodmaterials.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Redwood Materials operates an integrated circular battery platform, recycling end-of-life lithium-ion batteries to recover critical materials (lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper) for sale to North American cell manufacturers, while also deploying second-life battery energy storage systems for AI data centers, automakers, and utilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Battery Materials & Recycling

NAICS

Battery Manufacturing (33591)

SIC

Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) (3600)

akta.pro primary industry

Collection, Logistics & Reverse Supply Chain (Transport, Sorting, Tracking) (EUAFACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mechanical Recycling & Materials Separation (Crushing, Sieving, Physical Separation) (EUAFACAC), Battery Pack Manufacturing & Module Assembly (EUAFABAI)

Keywords

• Battery recycling services
• Lithium-ion recycling
• Battery materials production
• Energy storage systems
• Critical minerals recovery

Headquarters

HQ city

Carson City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Energy storage equipment sales & long-term service agreements: Direct sale of BESS (DC Block, AC Block) plus long-term service agreements guaranteeing fixed system capacity over the life of the agreement, with capacity maintenance and pack replacement services.
2. Power Purchase / Tolling Agreements: Redwood sells energy or power as a service under Power Purchase/Tolling Agreements, assuming operational responsibility and performance risk for the BESS. Provides recurring revenue tied to energy/power delivered.
3. Battery materials sales (anode copper foil and cathode active material): Sale of domestically produced, recycled-content battery materials (anode copper foil, cathode active material containing lithium, nickel, cobalt) to North American battery cell manufacturers such as Panasonic, Toyota, and others. Target ramp to 100 GWh annual production by 2025 and 500 GWh by 2030.
4. Battery recycling services (B2B): Fee-based recycling services for automakers, battery cell manufacturers, and other organizations; recovery and refining of end-of-life batteries and production scrap into critical battery materials. Partners include VW, Toyota, BMW, Ford, GM, Volvo, Panasonic, Ultium Cells, and Isuzu.
5. Auto dealer/dismantler battery portal sales: Auto recyclers and dismantlers can value and sell electric vehicle battery packs with a few clicks through Redwood's portal, creating a transactional recycling channel.
6. Consumer recycling program: Free consumer recycling for phones, laptops, tablets, power tools, and lithium-ion devices from individuals and community groups, primarily serving as a feedstock acquisition channel for materials production.
7. Microgrid / on-site BESS deployment services: Full turnkey EPC services including DC Block, AC Block, Energy Management System, Commissioning, and Operations and Maintenance for large-scale microgrid installations supporting AI data centers and industrial facilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Redwood Materials operates an integrated circular battery platform. Its Critical Materials business collects end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and production scrap from automakers, cell manufacturers, dealers, dismantlers, and consumers, then uses proprietary mechanical shredding and hydrometallurgical refining to recover more than 95% of lithium, nickel, cobalt, and copper, which it remanufactures into battery-grade cathode active material and anode copper foil for sale back to North American cell manufacturers. Its Redwood Energy business designs, integrates, and deploys large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) — including DC Block, AC Block, and a GW-scale Energy Management System — built on a proprietary Pack Manager architecture that integrates new and repurposed EV battery packs from any OEM, chemistry, or cell form factor into modular storage for AI data centers, utilities, and industrial customers.

Product overview

Redwood Materials operates an integrated circular battery platform with two interconnected business lines: Redwood Materials (Critical Materials) — battery recycling, refining, and remanufacturing of lithium, nickel, cobalt, and copper into cathode active material and anode copper foil — and Redwood Energy, the energy storage arm built on top of the materials business that uses the Pack Manager technology to repurpose second-life EV battery packs into large-scale BESS for AI data centers, utilities, and industrial customers. Supporting offerings include the Redwood Battery Bin (smart consumer battery collection), consumer/auto-recycler/dismantler recycling programs, and the South Carolina Carolina Campus critical materials recovery operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Redwood Energy: Subsidiary platform launched in 2025 that designs, integrates, and deploys large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) using new and repurposed EV battery packs for data centers, grid services, peak shaving, backup power, and industrial applications.
• Redwood Battery Bin

Products and services

• Redwood Energy Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) platform that designs, integrates, and deploys large-scale storage (DC Block, AC Block, Energy Management System, Commissioning, full turnkey EPC, and Operations & Maintenance) at the lowest cost using new and repurposed EV battery packs, targeted at AI data centers, grid services, peak shaving, backup power, and industrial customers.
• Redwood Critical Materials (Battery Recycling, Refining & Remanufacturing) End-to-end battery recycling service that recovers more than 95% of critical materials (lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper) from end-of-life batteries, production scrap, and consumer devices for sale as battery-grade cathode active material and anode copper foil to North American cell manufacturers.
• Redwood Battery Bin Smart consumer battery collection system with flame-retardant packing material and fire suppression, designed as a new standard for safer, scalable drop-off of consumer lithium-ion batteries and devices, deployed in partnership with the Nevada Tech Hub and other entities.
• Recycle with Redwood (Consumer & Community Recycling Program) Consumer and community-facing battery recycling program accepting phones, laptops, tablets, power tools, e-bike and scooter batteries, and any other lithium-ion device, offering direct-ship and drop-off pathways in partnership with the Rotary Club, BMW, Toyota, Panasonic, Lyft, and LKQ.
• Auto Recyclers & Dealers Battery Portal Self-service web portal allowing auto recyclers and dismantlers to value and sell EV battery packs directly to Redwood with a few clicks.
• Cathode Active Material Production Battery-grade cathode active material (including high-nickel cathode) produced at Redwood's Northern Nevada campus and supplied to partners such as Panasonic's Kansas plant and Toyota, representing the first commercial-scale cathode production in North America at Gigafactory scale.
• Anode Copper Foil Production Domestic anode copper foil manufactured from recycled copper for use in lithium-ion battery cell production, supplied to Panasonic, Toyota, and other North American partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Recovers more than 95% of critical materials (lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper) from end-of-life batteries
• +10 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.

• General Motors (GM)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026GM is the first automaker to partner with Redwood across the full battery lifecycle. Partnership covers manufacturing scrap recycling, end-of-life battery recycling, second-life deployment, and critical materials recovery. Includes a 1.5 MW / 7.2 MWh second-life BESS at a Michigan GM plant using ~100 repurposed GM EV battery packs (expected to save $3M+ in electricity costs), and energy storage pursuits using U.S.-built batteries.
• Berkeley County, South CarolinaminorOthers · 12 June 2026Government partnership for collection of damaged, defective, or recalled lithium-ion batteries. All collected batteries are sent to Redwood Materials for recycling. The county's Solid Waste Department coordinates drop-offs at the Oakley Road Convenience Center.
• RivianflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 April 2026Partnership to deploy a 10 MWh second-life battery energy storage system at Rivian's Normal, Illinois manufacturing plant using over 100 repurposed Rivian battery packs. The largest repurposed BESS at any U.S. automaker's facility. Redwood's Pack Manager software integrates mixed-chemistry packs into a unified dispatchable asset.
• CaterpillarcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Collaboration to recover the critical minerals that power mining's electrification. Caterpillar Venture Capital participated in the Series D funding round.
• CrusoeflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Crusoe is Redwood's first energy storage customer and the anchor for Redwood Energy. The 12 MW / 63 MWh second-life battery microgrid at Sparks, NV powers Crusoe's modular Spark data centers, expanded from 4 to 24 units (March 2026) with 99.2% operational availability since June 2025. The partnership is positioned as a scalable model for AI data center power.
• Lime MicromobilityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 April 2025Partnership to recycle medium-format batteries (300Wh–1,000Wh) from e-bikes and e-scooters. Lime is the world's largest micromobility company. Other micromobility partners include Lyft, Rad Power Bikes, and Specialized.
• IsuzuminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Battery recycling partnership announced as part of Redwood's 2025 activities.
• Nevada Tech HubminorOthers · 1 January 2025State-level partnership to deploy smart battery recycling bins (Redwood Battery Bin) across Nevada for consumer electronics collection.
• BMW of North AmericaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 September 2024Partnership to recycle lithium-ion batteries from all electrified BMW Group vehicles (BMW, MINI, Rolls Royce, BMW Motorrad) via 700+ dealer, distribution, and internal locations. Located near BMW's Plant Spartanburg and Plant Woodruff in South Carolina, where BMW will assemble at least six fully electric models.
• Ultium Cells (GM + LG Energy Solution JV)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 May 2024Redwood recycles production scrap (cathode, anode, cell scrap) from Ultium's Warren, Ohio and Spring Hill, Tennessee Gigafactories (each 2.8M sq ft, expecting 80+ GWh combined annually). With a third facility under construction in Michigan, Redwood now has contracts with most of North America's battery cell manufacturers.
• REDUX Recycling GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 September 2023Redwood expanded into Europe in September 2023 through the acquisition of REDUX Recycling, a leading EU battery recycling firm based in Germany. Acquisition supports Redwood's plan to build out similar hydromet recycling and copper foil / cathode active material production sites in Europe.
• PanasonicflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2022Long-term partnership since 2019. Panasonic recycles production scrap from the Nevada Gigafactory with Redwood. Panasonic is the first long-term buyer of Redwood's anode copper foil and will source Redwood's high-nickel cathode for its new Kansas plant (first cathode at Gigafactory scale in North America, targeted 2025).
• Rotary Club (ESRAG)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 September 2022National collaboration to create consumer recycling pathways for lithium-ion batteries and devices. Joint community events with Rotary Clubs of Los Altos, Cupertino, San Jose and across the country. Leverages Rotary's 1.4M+ members and 46,000+ clubs.
• Volkswagen Group of AmericaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 July 2022Partnership to recycle all end-of-life batteries from Volkswagen and Audi EVs. Redwood works with VWGoA's network of 1,000+ dealers to recover, package, transport, and recycle battery packs. Materials recovered at Redwood's Northern Nevada facilities and remanufactured into anode and cathode components supplied back to US battery cell manufacturers.
• Toyota Motor North AmericaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 June 2022Collaboration on EV battery collection, remanufacturing, recycling, and battery materials supply. Toyota sources cathode active material and anode copper foil from Redwood. Work focused at Redwood's Northern Nevada Battery Materials Campus with planned expansion near Toyota's North American battery plant on the East Coast.
• VolvocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Volvo is a Redwood partner for battery recycling and closed-loop battery materials supply. Featured on Redwood's homepage as one of nine key partners powering America's resilient energy future.
• Southern CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Energy storage partnership for grid applications, listed as one of Redwood's key partners on the homepage.
• LKQcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2022Channel partner in Redwood's dismantler network. Auto recyclers and dismantlers can value and sell EV battery packs through Redwood's portal with a few clicks.
• Ford Motor CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 September 2021Strategic relationship covering battery recycling, materials supply, and pursuit of U.S.-built batteries for energy storage. Announced in September 2021.
• AmazoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2020Amazon recycles EV and other lithium-ion batteries and e-waste from parts of its business with Redwood. Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund participated in the Series C funding round.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Li-Cycle: Li-Cycle is a North American lithium-ion battery recycler using a wet-chemistry spoke-and-hub process to produce black mass and refined battery materials. Like Redwood, it targets end-of-life EV and consumer batteries to recover lithium, nickel, and cobalt, though it is currently restructuring and operates at materially smaller scale.
• Ascend Elements: Ascend Elements is a US-based battery materials company that recycles lithium-ion batteries and manufactures cathode active material. It directly competes with Redwood on closed-loop materials supply to North American cell manufacturers, including its Hydro-to-Cathode direct precursor synthesis process.
• Cirba Solutions: Cirba Solutions (formerly Battery Resourcers) operates battery collection, recycling, and materials production across North America, producing recycled cathode active material and lithium carbonate. It is one of Redwood's closest competitors in the domestic battery materials supply chain.

Broad incumbents

• Umicore: Umicore is a Belgian global materials and recycling group with one of the largest battery materials and recycling businesses in the world. It competes with Redwood in cathode active materials, refining, and recycling, though its footprint is global and its portfolio spans non-battery catalysts and recycling.
• Tesla Energy: Tesla's energy unit (Megapack, Powerwall) is the leading global BESS OEM, deploying utility-scale and commercial battery storage at scale. It is a key competitor in the data center and utility-scale storage market where Redwood Energy is positioning, though Tesla uses new LFP cells rather than second-life EV packs.
• Fluence Energy: Fluence Energy is a leading global provider of grid-scale battery energy storage systems and software, formed as a joint venture between Siemens and AES. It competes with Redwood Energy in the utility-scale and AI data center storage market with a broad portfolio of BESS products.
• Glencore: Glencore is one of the world's largest commodity traders and recyclers of metals including cobalt, nickel, and copper. While it does not compete directly in EV battery recycling at scale, its refining and materials supply business sets a competitive benchmark for Redwood's domestic cathode active material and copper foil offerings.

Emerging players

• Northvolt: Northvolt is a Swedish battery cell manufacturer that also operates battery recycling (Revolt) and is building a European gigafactory footprint. It is a strategically adjacent player to Redwood in Europe — both targeting closed-loop battery materials — though Northvolt is focused on cell manufacturing and has faced significant operational and financial difficulties.
• Princeton NuEnergy: Princeton NuEnergy (PNE) is a US-based battery recycler using low-temperature plasma processing to recover cathode and anode materials from end-of-life batteries. It targets similar OEM and cell manufacturer customers as Redwood, though at materially smaller scale and earlier stage.
• Form Energy: Form Energy is a US long-duration energy storage company developing iron-air battery technology for 100+ hour grid storage. It is an adjacent, not directly competing player to Redwood Energy in the broader stationary storage market, addressing multi-day discharge applications where lithium-ion BESS is less economic.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/redwoodmat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/redwood-materials
• Instagraminstagram.com/redwoodmaterials
• Facebookfacebook.com/RedwoodMaterials

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds9 records

Investors29 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Redwood Materials