America’s Battery Scrap Grab Is On

ABTC broadens feedstock and Cirba advances a major buildout to fortify the EV supply chain

24 Nov 2025

The scramble for battery minerals has pushed recycling from a niche pursuit to a strategic pillar of the American EV buildout. Two companies are now moving fast to claim a larger share of the materials loop, and their latest steps hint at how the nation might secure the metals needed for millions of future cars.

American Battery Technology Company is widening its net through a new partnership with Call2Recycle, the national program that collects discarded consumer batteries. The deal brings everything from e-bike packs to power tool cells into ABTC’s system. Executives say this mix of everyday waste strengthens the company’s feedstock and reduces the odds that valuable metals slip out of the domestic supply chain. It also marks a shift toward capturing materials that often end up in junk drawers or landfills.

Cirba Solutions is pressing ahead on a path it set in late 2022 and early 2023, when it committed more than two hundred million dollars to expand its Ohio hub. The company projected at the time that the site could eventually produce enough recycled content for hundreds of thousands of EVs each year. Analysts see the move as a bet on a future where recycled minerals sit at the heart of US manufacturing. Federal agencies have argued that firms with strong recycling operations stand to benefit from incentives tied to US sourced components, a rule designed to sharpen the country’s industrial edge.

For now, the sector is trying to keep pace with automakers scaling production at remarkable speed. Recycling was once an afterthought; suddenly it feels like a competitive advantage. By linking consumer drop-off networks with heavy-duty processing plants, companies are sketching the outline of a more circular system.

The hurdles are real. Return rates vary widely and big facilities take years to build. Yet observers say the tailwinds are strong. Demand is rising, policies are aligning, and technical advances are arriving faster than expected.

As the national battery ecosystem shifts, these early maneuvers will shape how well the US meets its climate and manufacturing goals. With new partnerships and bold investments, the recycling race is accelerating and the leaders may set the tone for the industry’s next chapter.