Where Do EV Batteries Go When They Die?

As car makers invest more in electric vehicles (EVs), environmentalists and scientists are raising alarms about what happens when the batteries have run their course. 

The International Energy Agency predicts that there will be between 148 and 230 million battery-powered vehicles on the road by 2030, which would account for up to 12% of automobiles globally. While this is a fantastic projection for the environment, not all aspects of EVs are environmentally friendly. 

The majority of EV batteries are made from a lithium-ion chemical formula. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) differ in chemistry; some LIBs have nickel and cobalt in them, while others use phosphate as a primary metal. So what are the commonalities between all of these various formulations? First, the raw metals are all mined, finite and are often sourced from countries with more relaxed environmental regulations. Second, LIBs are toxic and can be especially dangerous when they end up in landfills. 

A recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report found that LIBs caused at least 65 fires at municipal waste facilities in 2020. On top of the toxicity of batteries, if they are not properly disposed of, there is a missed opportunity for carmakers that are not capitalizing on recycling opportunities. 

How Does A Circular Economy Reduce Toxic Waste? 

Environmentalists and economists have been touting the concept of a circular economy for decades, but it has just recently gained mainstream popularity in the past decade. A circular economy is a model of production and consumption that allows for materials to be recycled, reused and repaired to extend their lifespan and reduce waste and energy usage. 

Imagine that a car battery is designed with recycling in mind. The battery engineer may implement less corrosive glue in their design to protect some of the battery materials for longer, which would enable the lifetime of the battery to be extended. 

Then, when a battery is starting to show signs of wear and tear, instead of sending the battery to a landfill, they send the battery to their integrated recycling process, where they are able to extract valuable metals. From there, the recycled product  is re-manufactured into new batteries for future electric vehicles , and the car manufacturer is less dependent on international materials. 

This is how the circular economy works. A circular economy not only benefits the environment by limiting single-use products and over-extraction of valuable materials but can also benefit industries and supply chains economically.  without the geopolitical risks involved with depending on foreign mining companies for EV materials. 

The past two years have demonstrated how catastrophic overdependence on foreign materials can be on the supply chain. In July, Ford was forced to cut off reservations for its high-demand electric pickup truck. The company had more than 200,000 reservations but was forced to put them on hold because it couldn’t get the necessary quantities of graphite to produce its EV batteries.

Geopolitical tensions and the Russia-Ukraine war have also posed issues for supply chains. Countries like China have limited exports of phosphate, an essential material in a growing number of LIB chemistries. North American carmakers are beginning to realize the need for materials closer to home. Leaning into recycling programs and partners that can extend the life of battery materials is one way to curb the dependence on foreign suppliers. 

Recycling Programs Are The Future Of EVs

While there are a lot of manufacturing hurdles to overcome for the EV market to become a fully-efficient circular economy, finding companies that are capable of recycling batteries is a huge step in the right direction. 

RecycLiCo Battery Materials Inc. is a battery materials company focused on recycling and upcycling lithium-ion batteries. It has created a patented, closed-loop hydrometallurgical process that can capture up to 100% extraction of lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese used in LIBs and integrate the materials into the remanufacturing of new LIBs. 

Companies like RecycLiCo are instrumental in the circular economy and the future of EV production. The next decade will be a critical test of how environmentally friendly EV production is and how carmakers adapt to ongoing supply-chain issues. 

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