What the site does
Georgia has become one of the most active US states for EV and battery manufacturing, with major vehicle and cell plants operating or under construction. Atlanta's freight network, airport and interstate connections make it a natural grading point for the south-east, and the centre opened on Fulton Industrial Boulevard in 2021 to keep regional packs from being sent to the Midwest for testing.
Its 22,000 TPA of diagnostics capacity focuses on passenger-car and commercial packs from south-eastern dealers and fleets, together with rejected and test material from new regional factories as they ramp up. Packs that pass grading are released for second-life use; those that do not are sent to an integrated campus for black mass production. Serial-level reports are issued for every pack tested, whether it goes on to reuse or recycling.
What arrives at the gate
Feedstock at Atlanta, Georgia reflects its catchment and plant type. Every consignment is weighed, photographed and logged against the originating manifest before it enters the process area.
- Dealer and fleet packs from the south-eastern US
- Ramp-up and test material from new regional plants
- Delivery van and last-mile fleet retirements
- Warranty returns routed through Atlanta distribution centres
The process, step by step
The 3 operating lines — module soh bench, eis diagnostics laboratory, ai optical cell grading — run the sequence below.
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Intake & safety triage | Packs are logged, thermally imaged and screened for swelling, coolant ingress or venting before entering the bench area. |
| Controlled de-energising | Residual energy is discharged to a safe state of charge with regenerative load banks and recorded per serial number. |
| Module-level capacity test | Full charge-discharge cycling at C/3 establishes usable capacity, internal resistance and cell-to-cell balance. |
| EIS fingerprinting | 1 mHz–10 kHz impedance sweeps separate SEI growth, lithium plating and contact resistance degradation modes. |
| AI optical inspection | Machine-vision inspection of busbars, welds and cell cans flags mechanical defects that block second-life reuse. |
| Grade assignment | Grade A (≥85% SOH), B (75–85%), C (65–75%) and D routes are assigned, with D-grade material released to refining. |
What sets the site apart
South-east grading base. Serves Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee and Alabama without long trips to the Midwest.
Factory ramp-up support. Handles rejected and test material produced while new plants scale up.
Freight-hub location. Atlanta's logistics network shortens both inbound and onward transport.
Where material goes next
Material that Atlanta, Georgia does not finish on site moves to the nearest specialist facility in the network, keeping transport distances and dwell times down.
| Facility | Role | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Gothenburg — Nordic Second-Life Campus | Second-Life BESS Works | 7,243 km |
| Reno — Nevada Hydrometallurgy Refinery | Hydrometallurgical Refinery | 3,203 km |
Field note