Recycling Ecosystem of Electric Vehicle Batteries

Recycling Ecosystem of Electric Vehicle Batteries


Electric vehicles (EV) have seen a rapid growth with the global electric car stock hitting the 10 million in 2020. This increasing shift in EV’s would also mean an increase in battery demand. Lithium-ion batteries which currently power the EV’s reached a global manufacturing capacity of roughly 300 GWh per year and the production was around 160 GWh in 2020. Battery demand is set to increase significantly over the coming decade, reaching 1.6 TWh in the Stated Policies Scenario and 3.2 TWh in the Sustainable Development Scenario.

The envisaged projections in EV’s and the subsequent battery demand raises important questions with regards to catering to the demand for the materials that will arise for manufacturing batteries, end-of-life (EoL) and waste management. 

The increasing demand for battery materials necessitates the need for increased extraction of raw materials. However, reserves are limited in nature and the emissions that result from extraction, processing and transport would defeat its decarbonization goals. This therefore necessitates the need for a robust and efficient recycling infrastructure. It is important to note that recycling is crucial not only for securing the supply of key raw materials for the future but also for reducing the need for new mineral extraction, thereby lowering the environmental footprint manifold.

The life of an EV battery generally ranges between six to eight years and needs replacement when its capacity starts falling below 80%. There are three options post utilization of batteries for EV/ traction purposes:

1. Re-use/Repurpose the battery for secondary applications e.g., Stationary batteries for grid storage systems or standby use.

2. Recycle - Recover the materials in the battery such as Cobalt, Nickel, Iron, Copper etc.

3. Landfill Disposal

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