WESTBOROUGH – It was a roadshow stop fueled by sustainable, recycled lithium-ion batteries.
On Tuesday, April 16, Governor Maura Healey and Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao visited Ascend Elements on Flanders Road. It was a part of a “roadshow” to highlight Healey’s proposed economic development bill, the Mass Leads Act, which she filed on March 1.
The bill proposes a new 10-year climate tech initiative to make Massachusetts the world’s leader in climate innovation.
“Ascend is the story of what makes Massachusetts awesome,” said Hao.
“The company started right here in Massachusetts, it received initial funding from the state,” said Healey.
Ascend uses a patented technology to recycle used batteries and production scraps, and produces new cathode materials that go into new electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
According to information provided by Ascend, the cathode is the most valuable part of any lithium-ion battery, and manufactured primarily in Asia. Ascend not only manufactures cathodes in the U.S., but its process reduces carbon emissions by 50% when compared to extracting primary metals from mining.
The company was founded in 2015; it currently employs 150 people in the state, and 400 employees around the world. Ascend has a plant in Georgia, and is building facilities in Kentucky and Poland.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to make batteries more sustainable,” said Ascend Elements CEO Mike O’Kronley. “This is a technology that needs to go global.”
“Ascend knows no bounds,” said Healey. “This is the future.”
For information about Ascend Elements, visit https://ascendelements.com/
