Ascend Elements Delivering Decarbonized Cathode Materials to Freudenberg e-Power Systems
Ascend Elements has recently reached a significant milestone in the U.S. battery materials industry by delivering decarbonized cathode materials to Freudenberg e-Power Systems, a leading global supplier of emissions-neutral energy solutions for heavy-duty applications. This shipment marks one of North America’s first deliveries of engineered cathode materials tailored for a specific battery application as part of a commercial vehicle validation and launch process.
Cathode materials made from recycled battery metals offer electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturers the opportunity to qualify for U.S. tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Traditionally, engineered cathode materials are produced in Asia using raw materials from mined sources. However, Ascend Elements now manufactures these materials domestically from recycled EV batteries and production scrap, achieving just half the carbon footprint of traditional methods.
The company utilizes a patented process called Hydro-to-Cathode® direct precursor synthesis to produce NMC pCAM and CAM from used lithium-ion batteries and battery manufacturing scrap. This closed-loop process eliminates up to 15 intermediary steps found in the conventional cathode manufacturing process, offering significant economic and carbon-reduction benefits. By 2030, Ascend Elements aims to achieve a 90% reduction in the carbon footprint of its decarbonized cathode products.
In addition to the CAM deal with Freudenberg, Ascend Elements secured a $1 billion contract in June 2023 to manufacture sustainable pCAM for a major U.S.-based company. Commercial-scale shipments of this material to the undisclosed customer are set to begin in Q1 2025.
