Specialized and Redwood Materials Team Up to Solve Battery Recycling for E-Bikes

Specialized is partnering with Redwood Materials to solve battery recycling for the most popular electric vehicle – the bike. More than a partnership as a dedicated recycler, Redwood will not only help Specialized recover materials to bring back into manufacturing, but also to evaluate smarter design processes for better recyclability at end of life. By the end of 2021, Specialized will begin recycling bike batteries in the United States with Redwood Materials with the goal to roll out to other markets in 2022.

The future of local transportation looks more like a bike than a car and the e-bike is a powerful tool in encouraging more trips on two wheels. E-bikes are often faster in congested areas, cheaper on a per-mile basis, and more fun than sitting in traffic.

Today, more than two-thirds of all car trips are 16km or less, the most carbon intensive trips for any car, gas or electric. As transportation is one of the fastest growing contributors to carbon emissions, the e-bike is a powerful tool in climate action. As millions of e-bikes take to the streets over the next several years, there is also the consideration of the electric car, scooter, and bike batteries at their end of life.

Specialized was founded with the mission to inspire riders everywhere. With that comes a commitment to building quality bikes and equipment, minimizing the environmental footprint in their creation, and establishing an effective path for re-use and recycling of everything created.

Redwood Materials focuses on low energy, clean, and sustainable recycling processes by bringing a technical expertise in the re-use of materials in future product creation. By the end of the year, Specialized and Redwood Materials will put logistics in place for the recycling of Specialized e-bike batteries, first in the US, with the goal to roll out to other markets in 2022.

These learnings on logistics will be shared with industry organizations and others in the bike and micro-mobility categories to inspire broader adoption as the e-bike category continues to grow.

Learn more about Specialized Sustainability efforts.

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