Toyota Secures $4.5 Million DOE Funding for EV Battery Recycling Technology

Argonne National Laboratory

Toyota, a global leader in automotive innovation, has received $4.5 million from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to advance cutting-edge electric vehicle (EV) battery recycling technology. This initiative aims to address critical bottlenecks in battery recycling, including automating pack disassembly, improving battery identification and sorting with data-driven methods, and mitigating challenges posed by cell degradation.

The Toyota Research Institute of North America will spearhead this project by developing autonomous robotic systems to disassemble EV batteries, an essential step toward enhancing sustainability and efficiency in the battery supply chain.

Efforts to Build a Sustainable Battery Ecosystem

As the demand for EVs grows, so does the volume of spent batteries and manufacturing scrap. Toyota’s initiative represents an effort to make the recycling process more sustainable, efficient, and scalable.

This latest project builds on Toyota’s growing portfolio of collaborations and research in battery recycling:

• April 2024: Partnered with Argonne National Laboratory to explore direct recycling processes for cathode chemistries containing critical minerals like nickel, manganese, and cobalt.

• Late 2023: Partnered with Cirba Solutions to enhance the collection, storage, testing, and recycling of spent batteries.

• 2022: Collaborated with Redwood Materials to focus on recycling hybrid EV batteries through improved collection and testing methods.

By working with leading recycling companies and research organizations, Toyota aims to ensure that its batteries are part of a closed-loop supply chain, reducing reliance on virgin materials and enhancing the sustainability of its EV production process.

The Path Ahead for EV Sustainability

This DOE-funded project underscores the increasing importance of a sustainable battery supply chain as EV adoption rises globally. By tackling technical challenges such as cell degradation and automation, Toyota is paving the way for scalable recycling solutions critical to the EV industry’s future.