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Redwood Materials’ EV battery recycling pilot program has been going on for a year in California, and today the company shared an update on how things are going.

Redwood Materials was founded by JB Straubel, former Tesla CTO and one of Tesla’s five cofounders.

The pilot program started a year ago, collecting old EV battery packs from Volvo and Ford. Since then, Redwood has partnered with other automakers, such as Audi and the rest of VW Group, and the company even scored a $2b loan last month to help it scale.

Redwood’s headquarters is in Nevada, near Tesla’s Gigafactory, though the company is planning to expand to South Carolina as well.

Right over the border from Redwood’s Nevada HQ is California, the largest and most mature electric vehicle market in America, which gives Redwood easy access to a large number of aging hybrid and electric car battery packs for recycling.

Currently, those packs include a mix of NiMH and Li-Ion packs, the former being used primarily in older hybrids and the latter in newer EV and hybrid packs. Redwood has accepted 1,268 battery packs from 19 separate BEV and Hybrid models, which presents challenges to recyclers as every pack is designed differently and cell formats differ as well.

These packs weighed a total of half a million pounds, and Redwood managed over 95% efficiency in recovering important metals from them. This is incredibly high efficiency – especially compared to the 0% recycling efficiency of gasoline, the energy storage device for competing vehicles.

And Redwood has already struck a deal with Panasonic to sell the results of this recycling in the form of high-nickel cathode materials.

Redwood doesn’t only accept electric vehicle battery packs though. Through its partnership with Audi, it accepts batteries from old phones, laptops, and the like. These collections are done through 11 dropboxes in seven states, or you can ship your batteries directly to the company.

To find out more about Redwood’s Consumer Recycling Program and how and where you can recycle your batteries, check out its website here.

Battery recycling is expected to become increasingly important in coming years, as EV battery packs start reaching end-of-life. Currently, only the earliest EV batteries are starting to be recycled (for example, this author’s 15-year-old Roadster battery is still working, but showing its age).

With the EV market rapidly growing (16x as many EVs were sold in the US in 2022 as in 2012), recycling of old batteries will necessarily make up a small minority of EV battery material supply for years to come, but it will still be an important percentage especially with new government incentives.

The Inflation Reduction Act tied the EV tax credit to battery sourcing requirements which stipulate that “critical minerals” must be extracted, processed, or recycled in the US or in a country the US has a free trade agreement with. That last section is important – even if the battery materials originate elsewhere, as long as they are recycled in the US, they’re fair game, which means that recycling companies are well-positioned to provide these minerals to automakers.

Redwood’s strategy is to partner directly to these automakers to keep costs down. Redwood says that this increases safety and efficiency and helps to keep cost down, improving competitiveness of US-recycled materials when compared to freshly-mined ones.

The company also endorsed the idea of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), a legal framework where producers of recyclable goods are held responsible for the recycling of those goods. California modified its battery recycling laws in 2022, taking an EPR approach to batteries, and the state and several other regions in the world are currently considering expanding that approach to other materials as well, such as plastics. But Redwood opined that any battery EPR scheme should allow recyclers and OEMs to partner directly, in order to increase efficiency and keep costs down.

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Lease an electric G-Wagon? Mercedes is dangling $9,500 in incentives

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Lease an electric G-Wagon? Mercedes is dangling ,500 in incentives

If you’ve been eyeing the all-electric G-Wagon, Mercedes-Benz just sweetened the deal – but only for a limited time.

According to a dealer bulletin, the 2025 Mercedes-Benz G 580 with EQ Technology – AKA the electric G-Wagon – now comes with $9,500 in lease cash, up from last month’s $7,500. That’s a 27% jump in savings. The move comes just weeks before the $7,500 EV lease tax credit loophole closes on September 30.

Like most EVs leased in the US, the G-Class has been able to qualify for the credit even though it’s excluded from purchase incentives. That benefit is about to disappear, which likely explains why Mercedes is boosting the offers now.

The electric G-Wagon doesn’t come cheap. With a base price of $162,650, the $9,500 incentive amounts to only a 5.8% discount. The SUV also carries a steep advertised lease: $1,869 per month for 36 months with $14,613 due at signing. Factor it all in, and you’re really paying about $2,275 a month for 10,000 miles a year. Current Mercedes deals run through September 2.

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For context, the 2025 G 580’s lease money factor now sits at 0.00180, which works out to around 4.3% APR – lower than the standard rates previously on offer.

Performance-wise, the electric G-Wagon earns an EPA rating of 62 MPGe and an electric range of 239 miles. Not groundbreaking numbers, but for buyers who want the iconic G-Wagon experience with zero tailpipe emissions, this is it.

With federal lease credits ending soon, Mercedes appears to be betting that drivers looking for a last chance at big EV savings will jump now rather than later.

Click here to find a local dealer that may have the 2025 Mercedes-Benz G 580 with EQ Technology in stock. –trusted affiliate

Thanks to CarsDirect for digging up this dealer offer.

Read more: From $129 a month: 5 of the best EV lease deals in August


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Used Honda Prologue EVs are selling faster than expected

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Used Honda Prologue EVs are selling faster than expected

The Honda Prologue is a surprise hit. It was the second-best-selling electric SUV behind the Tesla Model Y in the second half of 2024. Now, used models are in high demand.

Honda Prologue leads used EV sales growth in July

After it delivered the first customer models last March, the Honda Prologue quickly became one of the most popular EVs in the US.

Throughout the second half of the year, Honda sold an average of over 5,000 Prologues every month. In November, it was the third best-selling EV, trailing only the Tesla Model Y and Model 3.

Honda’s electric SUV continues to be a top seller this year. Last month, it outsold the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Hyundai IONIQ 5. Since delivering the first Prologue model last March, Honda has now sold 52,500 units in the US.

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According to Cox Automotive’s latest EV Market Monitor report, used Honda Prologue EVs are selling faster than expected.

Used EV sales rose sharply in July to 36,670, up 23.2% from June and 40% compared to last year. Honda had the biggest increase in used EV sales, more than doubling (+103%) month-over-month. Hyundai (+61.3%) and Rivian (60.5%) ranked second and third.

Honda-Prologue-used-EVs
Honda Prologue Elite (Source: Honda)

Tesla led used EV sales last month, selling 15,903 vehicles, up 18% year-over-year. GM’s Chevy (3,499 units, +28.6%), Ford (1,967 units, +25.7%), Mercedes-Benz (1,724 units, -12.3%), and Nissan (1,659 units, +19.9%) rounded out the top five.

Although its market share slipped to 43.4% from 45.2%, Tesla remained the leader by a wide margin. Other luxury brands, including BMW and Audi, reported higher used EV sales in July, with increases of 43.87% and 38%, respectively.

Honda-Prologue-used-EVs
2025 Honda Prologue at a Tesla Supercharger (Source: Honda)

According to the report, used EV listing prices reached $35,263 last month, a 1.9% decrease from June. With a price gap of just $1,266, a record low, used electric vehicle prices are closing in on ICE vehicles.

New EV sales also picked up in July. With over 130,000 EVs sold, up 26% from June, the electric vehicle market share reached 9.1%, the second-highest to date.

Honda-Prologue-used-EVs
2025 Honda Prologue Elite interior (Source: Honda)

Ahead of the $7,500 federal tax credit deadline, set to expire at the end of September, 11 brands posted their best EV sales of the year. The top five included Tesla, Chevy, Hyundai, Ford, and Honda. Volkswagen surged to sixth after electric vehicle sales surged 454% last month.

The Honda Prologue starts at $47,400, but with the credit, you can snag one for under $40,000 right now. Honda is also offering monthly leases as low as $159 in California and other ZEV states. In other regions, it’s still listed for as low as $229 per month.

2025 Honda Prologue trim Starting Price* Starting Price After
Tax Credit
*
EPA Range
(miles)
EX (FWD) $47,400 $39,900 308
EX (AWD) $50,400 $42,900 294
Touring (FWD) $51.700 $44,200 308
Touring (AWD) $54,700 $47,200 294
Elite (AWD) $57,900 $50,400 283
2025 Honda Prologue prices and range by trim (*Does not include $1,450 D&H fee)

Even Honda’s luxury brand, Acura, is selling more electric vehicles than expected. Through the first half of the year, the Acura ZDX outsold the Cadillac Lyriq, and it’s based on the same GM Ultium platform.

Sales are expected to continue picking up ahead of the deadline. As Cox Automotive highlighted, “July’s performance sets a strong precedent, and as policy support winds down, the market’s ability to respond to real-time demand and brand-level dynamics will be critical in shaping the next phase of growth.”

Ready to take advantage of the savings while they are still here? We’re here to help. You can use our link to find deals on the Honda Prologue in your area (trusted affiliate link).

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Refuse revolution: Republic deploys Mack LR Electric garbage trucks in Chicago

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Refuse revolution: Republic deploys Mack LR Electric garbage trucks in Chicago

The waste management experts at Republic Services are committed to cleaning up the Chicagoland area — and now, that includes the air Chicagoans breathe, thanks to the deployment of new Mack LR Electric garbage trucks in the heart of America’s Second City.

Republic Services executives and partners from local utility ComEd gathered yesterday, 14AUG, to celebrate the deployment of Chicago’s first electric refuse fleet, featuring two new Mack LR Electric garbage trucks paid for, in part, by ComEd’s commercial EV rebate program.

The Mack LR Electric is purpose-built for refuse applications, delivering zero local emissions while maintaining the durability and performance Mack trucks are known for,” reads the official Mack press release. “The electric powertrain provides quieter operation for early morning routes and helps fleet operators meet sustainability goals while supporting cleaner air quality in urban communities. With its low cab-forward design and tight turning radius, the LR Electric maintains the maneuverability essential for residential and commercial waste collection routes.”

The big Class 8 Mack Trucks are powered by a pair of electric motors putting 400 combined kW (about 536 hp) through a 2-speed Mack Powershift transmission that offers a whopping 4,051 lb-ft of peak torque output. That’s over 40% more power than the first generation Mack LR Electric released in 2019, and this iteration can charge the 376 kWh Samsung-sourced batteries fully in under two hours at 150 kW.

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Real money, real results


ComEd and Republic Svcs. executives pose with “big check,” via ComEd.

While Washington continues to threaten America’s economic security and position as a global technology leader by toying with the idea of killing the $7,500 Federal EV tax creditthe ENERGY STAR program, and other energy efficiency incentives, the private energy sector is stepping up with massive investments in battery storage, charging infrastructure, and commercial EV rebates – and Chicago is leading that charge (pun very much intended), with EV adoption outpacing the rest of the nation by 4:1 in Q1.

“ComEd is proud to support Republic Services in advancing zero emissions transportation for Chicago’s neighborhoods,” explains Melissa Washington, our senior vice president of customer operations and strategic initiatives. “As more customers take advantage of our EV rebate programs, we are helping empower customers to realize the air quality and energy savings benefits of EVs, and moving our communities closer to their goals for a more sustainable future.”

The new HD electric vehicles will be powered up nightly by equally new 150 kW DC fast charging stations from BP pulse, which are installed at Republic’s vehicle yard in the Little Village neighborhood. Part of the ComEd rebate money awarded to the company helped fund the make-ready infrastructure portion (effectively from the transformer to the stub) of that project, as well as at least one Ford F-150 Lightning pickup.

And, if these trucks look familiar, it might be because Republic Services also handles refuse collection for the City of Madison, Wisconsin, and added two Class 8 electric trucks to their garbage fleet last year in the form of a pair of similar Mack Electric LR HDEVs.

Electrek’s Take


Look, you know me. There is absolutely ZERO chance that I’ll be able to remain objective about anything that’s putting down more than four thousand lb-ft of torque. Make that thing quieter, cleaner, and generally better for me and my community, and there’s even less of a chance of me saying anything critical about it.

Here’s hoping more cities go electric rather sooner than later.

SOURCES | IMAGESMack Trucks, Republic Services, via LinkedIn.


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