The Race to Reinvent EV Battery Recycling

LG Energy and Toyota Tsusho launch a U.S. venture to advance EV battery recycling and recovery research

7 Nov 2025

In North Carolina, a new alliance aims to make electric cars cleaner long before they hit the road. LG Energy Solution, the South Korean battery-maker, and Toyota Tsusho, a trading arm of the Toyota Group, have formed a joint venture to push forward battery recycling research. The venture, Green Metals Battery Innovations, will focus on recovering valuable metals from spent and scrap batteries, a small but significant step toward circular manufacturing.

Toyota Tsusho will hold a 51% stake and LG Energy Solution 49%. Operations are due to begin in 2026. The plant is expected to process around 13,500 tonnes of scrap annually, equal to more than 40,000 battery packs, while experimenting with new ways to extract “black mass,” a concentrate rich in nickel, cobalt, and lithium. Researchers hope to recover more material at lower energy cost, and at higher purity.

The partnership reflects a shift in the electric-vehicle industry. As firms compete to secure critical minerals, they are also investing in how to reuse them. Domestic recycling could lessen America’s reliance on imported materials, strengthen supply chains, and speed up production of next-generation batteries.

“The joint venture will not only help secure a stable supply of key battery materials but also enhance the competitiveness of our recycling business in North America,” said Chang Beom Kang, Chief Strategy Officer at LG Energy Solution. “Through joint research and technology development, we aim to establish a complete closed loop system from battery to raw material.”

North Carolina, already home to several battery plants, is emerging as a centre for such research. Universities, startups and global firms are clustering around shared questions of efficiency and sustainability.

The federal government’s push for domestic clean-energy innovation gives such projects a tailwind. For industry leaders and scientists alike, the future of battery recycling is no longer about waste control; it is about mastering the chemistry of renewal.