RIVIAN TEAMS WITH REDWOOD MATERIALS ON BATTERY STORAGE AT ILLINOIS PLANT

Rivian is extending the life of its electric-vehicle batteries in a new partnership with Redwood Materials, the battery recycling and energy company founded by Tesla co-founder JB Straubel.

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The two companies said they will deploy a battery energy storage system at Rivian’s manufacturing plant in Normal, Illinois, using more than 100 second-life battery packs from Rivian vehicles to deliver 10 megawatt-hours of dispatchable energy.

The project adds another layer to a growing shift in the EV industry: batteries are no longer viewed only as components inside vehicles, but as long-term energy assets that can continue creating value even after their automotive life begins to taper.

SECOND-LIFE BATTERIES MOVE FROM VEHICLES TO THE GRID

The Rivian-Redwood system is built around battery packs that have already served in vehicles and are now being repurposed for stationary storage. In automotive use, batteries eventually lose enough performance that they may no longer meet the expectations required for range, acceleration, and fast charging. That does not mean they are unusable. In many cases, those same packs still retain enough capacity to support less demanding applications such as site-level energy storage.

That is the logic behind second-life battery systems. Instead of moving directly from a vehicle into recycling, the battery first enters a new phase as a stationary power resource. At Rivian’s Illinois plant, those packs will help provide 10 megawatt-hours of dispatchable energy, meaning the system can store electricity and release it when needed.

For an EV manufacturer, that creates both operational and strategic value. The batteries continue serving a commercial purpose, the facility gains an onsite energy resource, and the company takes another step toward building a more circular battery ecosystem.