Ascend Elements, a lithium-ion battery manufacturer, has opened its first commercial-scale lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Covington, Georgia. The USD 50 million Base 1 facility is claimed to be North America's largest electric vehicle (EV) battery recycling facility.

In August 2022 , the facility began partial operations and currently has the ability to process 30,000 metric tons of used lithium-ion batteries and manufacture scrap annually, equivalent to 70,000 electric vehicle batteries per year.

The ultra-clean and efficient facility is powered by renewable energy and features onsite wastewater recycling and treatment systems. The facility currently employs nearly 100 team members, with plans to increase the headcount to 185 by 2024.

Analyst QuickTake: Ascend Elements is making strides towards its long-term target of building new facilities across North America, Europe, and Asia to process up to 150,000 metric tons of lithium-ion batteries annually (5x the capacity expected from its Covington facility). The company has also commenced the construction of a new lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Kentucky worth USD 1 billion, which is projected to commence operations by late 2023 or early 2024, producing battery materials for up to 250,000 electric vehicles per year.