Starting on Earth Day, Volkswagen of America, Inc. and Redwood Materials, Inc. will offer consumers a convenient way to recycle rechargeable devices or lithium-ion batteries. Participating Volkswagen dealerships will offer Redwood bins for easy and safe drop off of rechargeable batteries and consumer devices, including cell phones, laptops, tablets, cordless power tools, electric toothbrushes, wireless headphones, and old vacuum batteries.
The collaboration between Volkswagen Group of America and Redwood began last year with a strategic recycling deal for all Volkswagen and Audi electric vehicle battery packs and a shared vision to create a circular EV economy.
According to Redwood, its technology can recover more than 95% of the critical minerals from batteries (like nickel, cobalt, lithium, and copper) and then manufacture the metals into battery components that are supplied to U.S. battery manufacturers for new electric vehicles and energy storage products. If adopted across the industry, battery recycling programs like this could help reduce battery costs as well as the need to mine and ship raw materials.
“Volkswagen’s goal is to provide more accessible and more sustainable electric mobility for American drivers,” said Andrew Savvas, Executive Vice President, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Volkswagen North American Region. “By engaging our dealers, Volkswagen is providing access for consumers to contribute to sustainable mobility.”
The consumer recycling program officially launches at 14 dealerships in time for Earth Day on April 22, with a soft launch at the Volkswagen booth during the New York International Auto Show April 5 – 16. Additional dealerships will be added throughout the year.
- Findlay VW Henderson – Henderson, NV
- Flow Volkswagen – Wilmington, NC
- Hall VW – Brookfield, WI
- Herzog-Meier VW – Beaverton, OR
- Lindsay VW – Manassas, VA
- Lindsay VW of Dulles – Sterling, VA
- Mission Bay Volkswagen – San Diego, CA
- Reydel Volkswagen – Edison, NJ
- Reydel Volkswagen – Linden, NJ
- Sendell Volkswagen – Greensburg, PA
- Street VW – Amarillo, TX
- Tracy Volkswagen – Hyannis, MA
- Toms River Volkswagen – Toms River, NJ
- University VW – Albuquerque, NM
- Mission Bay Volkswagen – San Diego, CA
The Volkswagen Group brands plan to introduce more than 25 new battery electric vehicles to American consumers through 2030, with the Group aiming for 55% of its U.S. sales to be fully electric by 2030.
SOURCE: Volkswagen
