Audi has a plan to turn your old smartphones and other consumer devices into more sustainable electric vehicle batteries.
The automaker is partnering with Redwood Materials to put electronic device recycling bins in some of its dealerships.
Batteries and devices collected in the bins will be shipped to Redwood, which in turn will recycle them into EV batteries.
The company said it’s the first time an automaker has partnered with it to collect household lithium-ion batteries.
Lithium-ion batteries are made up of minerals like cobalt, copper, nickel, and lithium - metals Redwood said can be recycled almost infinitely.
The company said demand for lithium-ion batteries is expected to grow by 500% over the next decade.
The new deal is an expansion of Redwood’s current partnership with Volkswagen to recycle all end-of-life batteries from Volkswagen and Audi electric vehicles.
