Ford says it wants to improve its battery materials supply and address environmental concerns. : Ford Motor Co. announced on Wednesday plans to team up with a co-founder of Tesla Inc. on battery recycling in an effort to improve Ford's domestic battery supply chain for electric vehicles. This new partnership with Redwood Materials, run by CEO J.B. Straubel, the first chief technology officer at Tesla, focuses on "localizing the complex supply chain network, creating recycling options for end-of-life vehicles, ramping lithium-ion recycling and increasing U.S. battery production," Ford said in a news release.