Li Cycle Inc. has been tapped to design and operate a state-of-the-art battery recycling facility at General Motors' new Ultium Cells LLC factory in Ohio, the companies announced today.

Li Cycle will build and operate the facility, which will be located at the Ultium Cells factory in spring 2021. The facility will recycle large format lithium-ion battery cells from GM vehicles.

"We are thrilled to be working with General Motors, the largest automaker in the world, on this industry-leading initiative," said Ajay Kochhar, CEO and co-founder of Li Cycle.

"This project is a major milestone for our company and for the battery recycling industry as a whole. It underscores the increasing importance of recycling in the transition to a low-carbon economy."

The facility will use Li Cycle's proprietary "dry" recycling technology to recycle the battery cells. The process is non-toxic and doesn't use any hazardous chemicals. It is also more energy-efficient than traditional "wet" recycling methods.

The facility will have the capacity to recycle up to 40,000 metric tons of battery cells per year. That's enough to recycle the batteries from more than 500,000 GM vehicles.

This is the first time that GM has partnered with a company to recycle its battery cells. The partnership is part of GM's commitment to sustainability and the transition to a zero-emissions future.

"We are committed to working with our suppliers to find new and innovative ways to maximize the value of our products and minimize their environmental impact," said Mark Reuss, GM's executive vice president of global product development, purchasing and supply chain.

"This partnership with Li Cycle is an important step in that journey. We are excited to work with them to bring this cutting-edge technology to our new battery cell factory in Ohio."

About Li Cycle 

Li Cycle is a Toronto-based company that specializes in the recycling of lithium-ion batteries. The company was founded in 2016 by Ajay Kochhar and Justin Copeman.

Li Cycle's recycling technology is based on a process developed by Kochhar while he was a PhD student at the University of Toronto. The process doesn't use any hazardous chemicals and is more energy-efficient than traditional recycling methods.

Li Cycle has been working with GM since 2018 on the development of its recycling technology. The partnership with GM is the first time that the company has been tapped to design and operate a battery recycling facility.