EV batteries are getting a new life in Michigan
NextCycle Michigan alumni Great Lakes Recycling (GLR), located in River Rouge, Mich., is a 90-year-old, family-owned company that transitioned from ferrous metal recycling to focus exclusively on electronics and EV battery recycling. GLR moved into a 60,000 square foot facility in September 2025, quadrupling its space to scale its battery processing operation. The company can process 100-150 battery packs per day using advanced safety protocols. GLR is pursuing UL1974 certification to become one of only two U.S. companies able to officially certify batteries for reuse.
“Many incoming battery packs are still good with only minor issues like a bad fuse,” said David Kaminski with GLR. “Testing and certification can extend battery life significantly in second-life applications.”
Every incoming load of batteries is weighed, tagged, categorized, and recorded in an electronic system. Questionable loads are quarantined in shipping containers for safety, while approved loads move to the staging area. The facility is monitored for temperature fluctuations that automatically trigger camera alerts and notify the local fire department.
GLR has improved processes to dismantle standard battery packs in 4-6 minutes and drop voltage in half repeatedly to safe levels. The company focuses on the dismantling work, allowing downstream partners to concentrate on recycling accessory components and extracting black mass.
Through training offered by the Automotive Recyclers of Michigan, GLR earned Level 3 certification to remove battery packs from vehicles. GLR is also working with scrapyards and auto recyclers to increase awareness of safe battery handling and the potential revenue available through responsible battery collection.
GLR is currently partnering with Volt Harbor to emphasize reuse before recycling. They’ve jointly applied for NextCycle grant funding to develop battery testing for reuse as energy storage systems (ESS). ESS can include portable power for construction sites and concerts, grid stabilizers for preventing brownouts, and large-scale systems for electricity arbitrage.
“Battery packs at a 75-80% state of health no longer function effectively in vehicles but can be reused in energy storage systems down to a 30% state of health,” added Kaminski. “That provides an additional 50-60% useful life before final recycling.”
Volt Harbor originated from NSF-funded research at the University of Michigan focused on cost-effective reuse for retired EV batteries. Its core software innovation allows ESS modules to utilize various battery makes and models with varying energy capacities, voltage outputs, and degradation without requiring expensive balancing equipment.
The company participated in the NextCycle Michigan accelerator primarily to understand the Michigan ecosystem and make connections with potential partners. The program helped refine their business model and identify blind spots, particularly improving the understanding of the commercial and industrial market and local supply chain.
“Through NextCycle Michigan, we met a Michigan-based project developer who is now working with us as a channel partner for sales and handles installation services,” said Al Avestruz with Volt Harbor. Volt Harbor’s collaboration with GLR would establish a battery supply chain, where GLR would pursue the certifications and processes needed to evaluate batteries for reuse and conduct initial testing, while Volt Harbor would perform additional evaluation and integrate suitable batteries into energy storage systems.
“Our target market is commercial and industrial facilities, where battery storage costs and electricity costs are particularly high,” said Avestruz. “Together, the UltraCore modules enable power supply and provide multiple integrated functionalities where the grid infrastructure cannot handle demand, reducing the need for expensive grid upgrades.”
Data centers also emerged as a key opportunity, with wildly varying requirements across customers. This can be addressed with Volt Harbor’s modular, software-defined platform, replacing the front-end Power Stack between grid and the data center with integrated units at a fraction of the cost and footprint while enabling mass customization and rapid deployment.
“Repurposing batteries reduces new battery manufacturing needs, extends existing battery life, enables more EV adoption, and creates a spiral of increasing circular economy benefits,” added Avestruz. “EV battery reuse has a multiplier effect on sustainability impact.”
The company is also working on a pilot project with the DTE Emerging Technology Fund to develop an energy storage system that supports EV charging – storing energy during low-demand periods to supply power during expensive peak times when the grid is constrained. The pilot installation is scheduled for spring 2027.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
