NFI expands partnership with Li-Cycle on heavy-duty lithium-ion battery recycling for transit buses

November 10, 2021

Original article published in Green Car Congress

NFI Group, a leading independent bus and coach manufacturer and a leader in electric mass mobility solutions, has expanded its partnership with North America’s largest lithium-ion battery recycler, Li-Cycle Corp., to offer heavy-duty electric vehicle battery recycling to public transit customers in North America through Li-Cycle.

The partnership builds upon successful completion of an EV battery recycling pilot program between NFI subsidiary New Flyer of America and Li-Cycle, originally announced in January 2021. (Earlier post.) The pilot was Li-Cycle’s first program in the heavy-duty vehicle space.

Li-Cycle can now provide battery recycling for all NFI vehicles, including New Flyer, MCI, Alexander Dennis, and ARBOC. As zero-emission adoption continues to expand across North American public transit, the accumulation of end-of-life batteries will increase demand for heavy-duty battery recycling. NFI’s partnership with Li-Cycle will provide operators a viable option for battery recycling, in turn delivering full-circle sustainability.

Li-Cycle offers a proprietary, closed loop lithium-ion battery resource recovery service producing minimal solid waste, and zero liquid and air emissions that can sustainably produce battery-grade lithium, nickel, and cobalt products.

Li-Cycle recovers critical materials from lithium-ion batteries and reintroduces them into the supply chain. It achieves this through 95% recovery of all lithium-ion battery materials, extracting high-grade materials for battery reproduction at a cost lower than mined and refined material.

Its patented wet recycling processes battery materials hydrometallurgically, and outputs high-purity battery chemicals to be redirected to the lithium-ion battery supply chain and broader economy.

In addition, Li-Cycle’s wet-chemistry process requires lower energy consumption than traditional high temperature processes and is fully sustainable, with no solid or liquid waste and zero-impact air emissions.

New Flyer and Li-Cycle are both members of CALSTART, an international nonprofit dedicated to accelerating the pace of clean technology and the adoption of clean transportation.