General Motors and Redwood Materials are deepening their collaboration on battery sustainability with a new second-life energy storage project that will give retired EV batteries a productive new role beyond the road.
The companies announced plans to deploy approximately 100 repurposed GM electric vehicle battery packs at a GM manufacturing facility in Michigan. The energy storage system will provide 1.5 MW of power and 7.2 MWh of energy capacity, helping the plant reduce electricity costs while improving energy resilience.
According to Redwood Materials, the installation is expected to save more than $3 million in electricity expenses over the lifetime of the project. The deployment highlights the growing potential of second-life EV batteries to support industrial energy needs long after their automotive service has ended.
Extending the Value of EV Batteries
The Michigan project marks a significant milestone in the relationship between GM and Redwood Materials. With this latest initiative, GM becomes the first automaker to partner with Redwood across the entire battery lifecycle.
The partnership now covers battery manufacturing scrap recycling, end-of-life EV battery recycling, second-life battery deployment, and the recovery of critical materials for future battery production.
Redwood already works closely with Ultium Cells, GM’s battery manufacturing joint venture with LG Energy Solution, recycling battery production scrap generated at U.S. facilities. When GM EV batteries eventually reach the end of their useful life on the road, they are sent to Redwood, where they are either repurposed for stationary energy storage applications or processed to recover valuable battery materials for reuse.
To date, Redwood has received more than 28,000 metric tons of battery materials from GM and Ultium Cells for recycling. In addition, roughly 10,000 GM battery packs are currently designated for second-life applications through Redwood Energy, the company’s energy storage business.
Supporting Manufacturing Plants and Grid Reliability
As demand for reliable electricity continues to grow, particularly from energy-intensive industries and data centers, repurposed EV batteries are emerging as an attractive solution for providing dispatchable power capacity.
The Michigan deployment demonstrates how EV battery technology can create value beyond transportation by helping industrial facilities manage energy costs, reduce strain on local grids, and improve resilience during periods of high electricity demand.
For GM, the project extends the economic value of its battery technology while supporting broader sustainability and circular economy goals. For Redwood, it represents another step toward building a domestic battery ecosystem that keeps valuable materials and energy assets within the United States.
Building on Previous Second-Life Battery Projects
The Michigan installation follows several large-scale energy storage deployments using repurposed GM battery packs.
One of the most notable examples is Redwood’s energy storage project in Sparks, Nevada, developed for AI infrastructure company Crusoe. Redwood describes the facility as the world’s largest battery energy storage system built from repurposed EV batteries and the largest microgrid in North America.
As Redwood’s inventory of second-life GM batteries continues to expand, the company is deploying them across a growing portfolio of energy storage projects nationwide. The Michigan facility also follows a recent second-life battery deployment at Rivian’s manufacturing plant in Normal, Illinois.
A Domestic Circular Battery Economy
The partnership reflects a broader effort to establish a fully domestic battery lifecycle in the United States. By recovering production scrap, recycling end-of-life battery packs, repurposing batteries for energy storage, and reclaiming critical minerals for future battery manufacturing, GM and Redwood are creating a closed-loop system designed to maximize the value of battery materials.
As EV adoption increases and more battery packs become available for second-life applications, projects like the Michigan installation demonstrate how retired EV batteries can continue supporting industry, strengthening energy infrastructure, and reducing the need for newly mined materials.
The new deployment shows that EV batteries can remain valuable assets for years after leaving the road, serving as energy storage systems before ultimately being recycled into the next generation of batteries.
[source: Redwood Materials]
