Ascend Elements recently shipped decarbonized cathode materials to Freudenberg e-Power Systems, a supplier of emissions-neutral energy solutions for heavy-duty applications. Cathode materials made from recycled battery metals can help EV battery manufacturers qualify for U.S. tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
“Battery manufacturers in the United States are starting to use engineered battery materials that are made in America from recycled metals,” said Eric Gratz, Ph.D., CTO and co-founder of Ascend Elements. “Engineered cathode material is normally made in Asia using material from mined sources. Now we’re making it domestically from recycled EV batteries and production scrap while generating just half the carbon footprint.”
Ascend Elements said it uses a patented process known as hydro-to-cathode direct precursor synthesis to manufacture NMC pCAM and CAM from used lithium-ion batteries and battery manufacturing scrap. The closed-loop process eliminates up to 15 intermediary steps in the traditional cathode manufacturing process. A recent life cycle assessment conducted by an independent third party found Ascend Elements’ hydro-to-cathode process produces EV battery cathode material at a 49% reduction in carbon emissions compared to traditional cathode manufacturing processes. By 2030, the company said it aims to achieve a 90% reduction in carbon footprint for its decarbonized cathode products.
Since cathode material is the single largest contributor to a lithium-ion battery cell’s carbon footprint, Ascend Elements said its low-carbon cathode material will have an impact on Freudenberg e-Power Systems’ batteries.
The shipment of pCAM material was engineered and manufactured at the Ascend Elements pilot facility in Westborough, MA. The materials will be sintered and finished as CAM at the Ascend Elements location in Novi, MI before shipment to Freudenberg e-Power Systems at the XALT Energy plant in Midland, MI.
“This is a relatively small shipment in relation to the intended full-scale commercial program, but it’s an important milestone for Ascend Elements and the U.S. battery materials industry,” Gratz said.
Ascend Elements said its engineers worked closely with Freudenberg e-Power Systems for over a year to engineer and manufacture the low-carbon cathode material to particularly high-performance requirements for lifetime, charge time, and safety.
While this shipment of material was made in Massachusetts and finished in Michigan, Ascend Elements said it continues building a $1 billion advanced manufacturing campus in Hopkinsville, KY. Scheduled to begin operations in early 2025, the 1-million-square-foot Apex 1 facility will eventually produce enough pCAM and CAM for 750,000 EVs per year, the company said.
In addition to the CAM deal with Freudenberg, Ascend Elements said it landed a $1 billion contract to manufacture sustainable pCAM for a major U.S.-based company in June 2023. Commercial-scale shipments of material to the undisclosed customer will begin in Q1 2025.
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