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SEATTLE, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital transparency company Everledger today announced the launch of a world-first battery passport pilot with leading automotive manufacturer Ford Motor Company (Ford) to ensure responsible recycling of EV batteries.
The pilot leverages Everledger's technology platform to track electric vehicle (EV) batteries throughout their lifecycle to ensure responsible management during use and recycling at the end of their useful life. This will allow Ford to gain visibility on out-of-warranty batteries, validate responsible end of life recycling, and gain access to data such as recycled critical minerals produced and associated CO2 savings.
Everledger and Ford will use the battery passport solution to track batteries in various late and newer EV models for six months, working together with US lithium-ion battery recyclers Cirba Solutions and Li-Cycle.
To track the battery lifecycle Everledger utilizes a range of technologies including various types of auto ID, blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI). During manufacture Ford batteries and their inner modules are tagged with 2-D data matrix codes, which are then scanned with a cell phone by each organization as the battery changes hands. These scans allow otherwise separated links in the value chain to report on and access information about a battery's location, chemistry and other attributes and activities taking place, for example transportation, disassembly and recycling.
The battery passport concept was conceived and coordinated by Everledger, along with other industry experts, as part of an industry-led group known as the Global Battery Alliance (GBA). The GBA was founded in 2017 at the annual World Economic Forum and was established to create a sustainable and responsible battery value chain. The battery passport is the digital identity of a battery which includes information about its materials and components and ultimately the battery itself. It can provide transparency of the battery supply chain as well as the lifecycle of the finished product.
It is not only large auto manufacturers that can benefit from improved lifecycle management and verified claims of recycling. Battery repair garages, auto recyclers, auction houses, repurposers, dismantlers and recyclers that encounter the battery during its life also benefit. They will have more visibility to understand a battery's chemistry and history in order to make faster, more informed decisions about how its contents can best be used, sold or recovered.
The Everledger-Ford pilot comes ahead of the new European Battery Regulation that will come into force in late 2022/early 2023 and require manufacturers to report on their extended producer responsibility for proper battery recycling. This pilot, conducted in the North American market, demonstrates how combinations of advanced technologies can streamline regulatory compliance and add efficiencies across the value chain.
Leanne Kemp, Founder and CEO of Everledger said: "The Everledger Platform and its battery passport functionality positions stakeholders along the supply chain to verify a battery's material provenance, chemistry and identity; and measure its sustainability and environmental impact alongside creating a multi-billion dollar global market for used batteries that maximizes the recovery of raw materials and accelerates the development of climate-friendly mobility.
"A fully connected and transparent battery passport, secured by blockchain technology, allows electric vehicle manufacturers and owners to not only track and report the lifetime journey of each battery, but increasingly where those critical minerals originated and how those mines stack up with the use of renewable energy, enabling brands like Ford to more easily report on climate action and Scope 3 emissions.
The automotive industry is currently on the verge of electrical transition, and the responsible environmental performance of electric vehicles is of great concern. Ford, once again has shown their global leadership by taking up the challenge to transform sustainably" said Ms. Kemp.
In addition to benefits for auto manufacturers, the participating recyclers expect to gain process efficiencies from being able to simply scan the battery to get essential information such as battery chemistry. "Cirba Solutions has been the leader in providing traceability and transparency in battery recycling for decades. We are pleased to support continued efforts to securely collect data enhancing traceability across the entire battery supply chain" says, David Klanecky, president & CEO. Li-Cycle co-founder and CEO Ajay Kochhar added: "We are excited to be part of this innovative pilot project to better improve the understanding of EV batteries' full lifecycle. This project will help support our goal of creating a closed-loop supply chain of critical battery materials to support EV production."
After six months of testing Everledger will release the battery passport commercially, confirming they have a series of other automotive manufacturers and participants in the battery lifecycle interested in adopting and utilizing the technology.
ABOUT EVERLEDGER:
Founded in 2015, Everledger is an independent technology company helping businesses surface and converge asset information, using a symphony of secure technologies, including blockchain, artificial intelligence, intelligent labelling and Internet of Things. Our purpose is to contribute greater clarity and confidence in marketplaces where transparency matters most.
Everledger is committed to helping every link in the industry value chain to achieve a positive environmental impact from traceability. Our technology brings increased transparency to supply chains, benefiting stakeholders who adopt sustainable practices, while bringing visibility to their end consumers.
We digitally streamline our clients' compliance processes, to help them demonstrate the lifetime story of an asset with greater efficiency and accuracy. As technology partners, we also support in powering resilience and sustainability. With information out in the open, we believe the value of many industries – from diamonds, to fine wines, to e-recycling – will be shared by all stakeholders throughout the value chain.
Everledger is certified with the ISO 27001 standard by the British Assessment Bureau, a testament to our robust, ongoing and systematic approach to information security. Everledger has been awarded a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum in 2018.
For more information, visit: www.everledger.io
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Everledger spokesperson headshot and bio: https://www.everledger.io/press/press-resources/
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SOURCE Everledger