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Redwood Materials expands Rivian partnership to recycle scrap at the Normal, Illinois, factory
Rivian is the latest major EV brand to sign a formal battery recycling deal with Redwood, and the deal covers factory scrap, retired packs and second-life storage.
A recycling effort inside Rivian's own factory
Redwood Materials and Rivian are expanding their existing EV battery partnership to add a battery material recycling effort at Rivian's vehicle factory in Normal, Illinois, and potentially at other Rivian-owned sites [1]. Rivian is the latest major EV brand to enter a formal battery recycling partnership with Redwood, joining BMW, Ford, Toyota, and Volvo [1].
The timing matters for Rivian. The company has recently launched the R2 and was building out its R2 production line at the former Diamond-Star Mitsubishi plant in Normal [1]. Rivian shares fell 3.14% to $12.95 on Wednesday as the company expanded the partnership [2].
What Redwood will handle
Redwood and Rivian announced that Redwood will recycle Rivian's battery production scrap and end-of-life EV packs [3]. Redwood will collect, sort, and recycle the production scrap and put the materials back into the manufacturing process [1]. That covers battery scrap from Rivian's vehicle manufacturing activities [2].
Redwood will also recycle batteries that no longer meet Rivian's operational requirements [2]. Recovered materials can support domestic battery production and reduce reliance on newly mined resources [2].
How packs get collected and sorted
Redwood collects Rivian battery packs that are no longer suitable for in-vehicle use through Rivian's nationwide network of service centers [3]. Under the agreement, Redwood assesses each pack for another energy storage application [2].
Each collected pack is evaluated to decide whether it will be repurposed for energy storage at Rivian's manufacturing facilities or elsewhere, or recycled [3]. Retired Rivian batteries will be put to use in other stationary energy projects before their critical materials are recycled [1].
Building on the April storage project
The expansion builds on an existing project, announced in April 2026, that deploys 10 MWh of battery energy storage from repurposed Rivian packs at Rivian's plant in Normal [3]. In that month Rivian signed on for 10 MWh of energy storage using repurposed Rivian battery packs [1].
Rivian's Illinois manufacturing facility will serve as an initial location for the companies' stationary battery storage systems [2]. Redwood's energy management technology will coordinate battery storage operations according to facility requirements [2].
What the executives say
JB Straubel, founder and CEO of Redwood Materials, said every Rivian battery pack returned to Redwood is a potential source of domestic grid energy storage in addition to critical materials [3].
RJ Scaringe, founder and CEO of Rivian, said giving Rivian battery packs a second life in stationary storage is a massive unlock for the energy transition [3].
What it means for Rivian owners and watchers
If you own a Rivian, the service center network is the route for packs that are no longer suitable for in-vehicle use. Redwood collects those packs through that nationwide network [3]. Each pack is then evaluated for repurposing in energy storage or for recycling [3].
If you follow the Normal plant, watch the stationary storage systems there, since the Illinois facility is an initial location for them [2]. The partnership could also reach other Rivian-owned sites [1].
Sources
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