FORD EV BATTERY RECYCLING PASSPORT PILOT PROGRAM ANNOUNCED

FORD EV BATTERY RECYCLING PASSPORT PILOT PROGRAM ANNOUNCED
By Brett Foote
October 25, 2022 10:59 am

Ford recently revealed its EV battery master plan, which aims to secure the raw materials needed to support its goals of producing two million all-electric vehicles annually by 2026 via a large number of suppliers across the globe, as well as its own joint venture, BlueOvalSK. Ford also plans on switching to lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) batteries – which utilize fewer of those raw materials – over the coming months. Ford EV battery recycling efforts will also play a big role in these plans moving forward, and now, the automaker has announced a new pilot program that aims to accomplish precisely that in partnership with Everledger, a digital transparency company.

This Ford EV battery recycling passport program will utilize Everledger’s technology platform to EV batteries throughout their lifecycle to ensure responsible management during use and recycling at the end of their useful life. Everledger uses a range of technologies including various types of auto ID, blockchain, and artificial intelligence to accomplish this. During the manufacturing process, Ford batteries and their inner modules are tagged with 2-D data matrix codes, which are then scanned with a cell phone by each organization as the battery changes hands. These scans allow otherwise separated links in the value chain to report on and access information about a battery’s location, chemistry, and other attributes and activities taking place such as transportation, disassembly, and recycling.

The purpose of this tracking is that it will allow Ford to gain visibility on out-of-warranty batteries, validate responsible end of life recycling, and gain access to data such as recycled critical minerals produced and associated CO2 savings. Everledger and Ford will use the battery passport solution to track batteries in various EV models for six months, working together with U.S. lithium-ion battery recyclers Cirba Solutions and Li-Cycle.

“The Everledger Platform and its battery passport functionality positions stakeholders along the supply chain to verify a battery’s material provenance, chemistry, and identity, and measure its sustainability and environmental impact alongside creating a multi-billion dollar global market for used batteries that maximizes the recovery of raw materials and accelerates the development of climate-friendly mobility,” said Leanne Kemp, Founder and CEO of Everledger. “A fully connected and transparent battery passport, secured by blockchain technology, allows electric vehicle manufacturers and owners to not only track and report the lifetime journey of each battery, but increasingly where those critical minerals originated and how those mines stack up with the use of renewable energy, enabling brands like Ford to more easily report on climate action and Scope 3 emissions.”