Redwood Materials to recycle hydrofoil batteries

Australia-based electric hydrofoil producer Flite and Nevada-based Redwood Materials say they have started operations tied to an arrangement for Redwood to recycle end-of-life Flitecell e-foil batteries in the United States.

The battery materials recycling firm says Flite will “work closely with Redwood to dispose of Flitecell batteries in a convenient and cost-free manner that encourages consumers to responsibly recycle their battery products.”

Flite has sold more 7,500 of its hydrofoils worldwide, says Redwood, which also says it “will sustainably recycle all Flite’s electric hydrofoil batteries that have reached end-of-life and will refine and manufacture the metals into precision battery materials, which can then be reintroduced to the supply chain for U.S. battery manufacturers.”

The process will involve customers dropping off their used units at Flite service center partner locations in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago and two cities in Florida: St. Petersburg and Fort Lauderdale.

“We recognize that the batteries we produce are the largest component of our environmental footprint as a business,” says Flite founder David Trewern. “Making it easier for our customers to properly recycle our batteries at the end of their useful life is a significant step in taking responsibility for this impact and developing a sustainable business.”

Flitecells, or battery packs, consist of lithium-ion cells housed within a titanium or aluminum (in early models) casing. Redwood and Flite estimate that Flitecells have an average lifespan of four years.

Redwood Materials has been seeking alliances and investors so it can be a “large-scale source of domestic anode and cathode materials produced from recycled batteries,” including lithium, copper, cobalt and nickel.

The company says it plans to ramp up production of anode and cathode components in the U.S. to 100-gigawatt hours (GWh) annually by 2025, and 500 GWh annually by 2030, which it calls enough to produce more than 5 million electric vehicle battery packs per year.