The brief
- Takes in 20+ GWh of used batteries a year, which it says is about 90% of North American lithium-ion recycling.
- Redwood Energy (June 2025) reuses still-good EV packs as storage; first system: a 12 MW / 63 MWh microgrid for Crusoe's AI data centre.
- Series E closed at $425M in January 2026, valuing it above $6B (Eclipse led, Google joined); ~5% of staff cut in late 2025.
Technical approach
Heat, then chemistry
Batteries are drained, heated, then dissolved in chemicals (hydrometallurgy) to recover nickel, cobalt, lithium and copper, using less energy than smelting.
Back into new batteries
Recovered metals become battery-grade cathode material and copper foil, so they go back into new cells.
Second life first
Packs with life left are tested and used as grid storage, and only recycled once they are truly worn out.
Redwood Materials, two programs
Updated 9 Jun 2026Open technical problems
- Low metal pricesOpen
Lithium and nickel prices have fallen since 2023, squeezing profits; it needs cheap recovery and buyers who value US supply.
- Mixed used packsActive research
Used packs differ in chemistry, age and health, so each needs checking and control to be used safely in big storage.
Peers
Company & funding
- Valuation
- $6Bprivate
- Raised
- $1.4Bdisclosed private rounds
- Last round
- Series E final closeJan 2026
- HQ
- US
- Founded
- 2017
| Date | Round | Amount | Post-money | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2026 | Series E final close | $75M | $6B | — |
| Oct 2025 | Series E | $350M | — | Eclipse |
| Aug 2023 | Series D | $1B | — | Goldman Sachs Asset Management |
Partners & customers
- Customer
12 MW / 63 MWh second-life battery microgrid powering an AI data centre.
- Investor
Led the Series E.
- Investor
Joined in the Series E final close.
- Customer
People
- JB Straubel (opens en.wikipedia.org)Founder & CEO


