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A Massachusetts startup has a unique solution to making EVs more sustainable -- and cheaper. In a process it calls 'upcycling', Ascend Elements says it can turn spent lithium-ion batteries into ones that are better than new -- longer-lasting, faster-charging and less-polluting. Professor Yan Wang at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and postdoctoral student Eric Gratz began investigating battery recycling a decade ago. Their patented recycling process shreds thousands of pounds of lithium-ion batteries from cellphones, power tools, laptops and EVs, producing a battery cathode that can be customized to an EV manufacturer's needs. "This is alchemy," says vice-president Roger Lin. "We call it chemistry but it’s alchemy." The process results in 93% lower carbon emissions at about half the cost of newly mined material. In June, Ascend announced an agreement with Honda to provide the car maker with new cathodes made from old lithium-ion batteries, and plans to build a battery recycling plant, in Georgia.
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