It’s tough and expensive to extract the valuable elements from an electric vehicle battery. Batteries are typically shredded before being broken down further using heat or chemicals at specialised recycling facilities. That portion is straightforward. The more difficult element is transporting dead batteries to those facilities from wherever they died. According to one recent study, transportation accounts for almost 40% of the total cost of recycling. Electric vehicle battery packs are so large that they must be transported by truck (rather than plane) in specially built boxes over long distances to reach centralized recycling facilities. Dealers have chosen to bring an entire 4,000-pound damaged vehicle to Oklahoma City simply so SNT can extract and repair or recycle the 1,000-pound lithium-ion battery inside.
Overall, the journey is so labor- and resource-intensive that the expenses of digging out new materials from the earth are usually higher. Because cobalt is so scarce and expensive, it is currently the only battery material that can be recycled profitably. Many battery manufacturers plan to delete it from their chemistries shortly for the same reason, threatening to make the value argument for recyclers even more difficult. “Recycling will not be profitable for all people. “That’s fantasy economics,” says Leo Raudys, CEO of Call2Recycle, a nonprofit that manages dead battery recycling operations. Even cobalt-free batteries are poisonous and can cause fires, despite the fact that they still contain precious components such as lithium and nickel. Recycling them responsibly, on the other hand, is simply less profitable.
In other words, whomever ends up with a dead battery will almost certainly have to pay a recycler to dispose of it. Raudys compares it to the early days of electronic waste management, when producers and recyclers were caught off guard. “A lot of tube TVs still ended up in ditches,” he says.
EV battery packs, according to Raudys, provide a lower danger of this, in part because they are so large and difficult to conceal. Because of the risk of fire, a landfill will not accept them knowingly. It’s easier to track down an owner or, at the very least, the manufacturer of a large pack discarded somewhere. Most battery packs will be able to be recycled as a result of this.
What happens to the batteries from electric cars that are no longer in use?
However, some argue that the ideas are merely the beginning, and that the group’s diverse interests made it impossible to gain majority approval for critical things.
“According to Nick Lapis, a member of the panel who represents Californians Against Waste, a nonprofit environmental research and advocacy organization, “the report identifies several policy solutions that have been proven to work for other products in California and for batteries in countries around the world.”
“However, I believe that initiatives that would truly tackle the problem failed to gain widespread support.”
Obstacle course ahead
By the end of 2020, the state has 636,000 light-duty, zero-emission automobiles. According to the California Energy Commission, 369,000 electric vehicles, 259,000 plug-in hybrids, and 7,000 fuel cell vehicles have been registered in the state.
While this was by far the largest of any state, it only accounted for 2.3 percent of all light-duty cars in California.
If California wants to meet its 2035 objective of 100 percent zero-emission new light-vehicle sales, that figure must rise soon. (The state has set a 2045 deadline for achieving the 100 percent goal for medium- and heavy-duty trucks.)
According to the California New Car Dealers Association, 2 million new cars were sold in the state in 2019, before the epidemic affected new-car availability. That means 2 million or more new EVs should be on the road every year in 13 years, with annual sales steadily increasing in the meanwhile.
Significant obstacles remain in the way of putting all Californians into zero-emission vehicles, such as providing electric-vehicle charging choices for apartment dwellers.
However, because there hasn’t been much of a need for building used-battery markets and regulations, the barriers to reusing and recycling the batteries in those cars may be even bigger.
It hasn’t been a huge issue because the average automobile has been on the road for around 12 years and electric vehicles have only recently gained traction Tesla’s Model X was released in 2015 So far, there haven’t been too many batteries retiring.
It’s unclear what happens to the batteries that have reached the end of their useful lives because they haven’t been closely tracked. One such scenario is an older or destroyed electric car being sold at auction for parts to a dismantler.
“Those batteries may be stored until better economics for recycling or resale emerge,” said Alissa Kendall, a UC Davis engineering professor and main author of the state’s draft study. She speculated that they could be recycled out of state or even out of the nation. Or perhaps they end up in the hands of amateurs.
Many used batteries, according to the paper, will be repurposed for electrical storage such as storing solar energy for when the sun isn’t shining before being dismantled and recycled. ReJoule is one of four state-funded pilot projects developing strategies for such repurposing, according to the report.
According to the paper, when a battery no longer provides the appropriate range for a car, it can be used for electrical storage for another decade.
However, most batteries will need to be removed and repurposed or disposed of as hazardous waste at some point.
A pyrometallurgical smelting method to extract precious minerals from the battery cathode is one recycling technology. The disadvantage is that it only recovers a percentage of the needed elements including no valuable lithium and can cause carbon emissions.
A hydrometallurgical chemical leaching process may be more promising in terms of mineral capture and environmental sensitivity.
However, while technology evolves to find the optimum technique, California’s strong environmental restrictions especially because the batteries count as hazardous waste may provide a greater challenge.
According to the research, hazardous waste treatment permits take an average of two years to approve, and the most recent new hazardous plant was permitted eight years ago. As a result, there are no current models for navigating a time-consuming regulatory process.
“I think (battery recycling) is a lot further away from a policy position than it is from a technological standpoint,” said Hanjiro Ambrose, the state panel’s lead advisor and a UC Davis researcher.
No quick fixes
Aside from a lack of a rigorous process for tracking EV batteries, the research claims there is no structure in place to organize their collection, post-car usage, or disposal once the guarantee period has expired.
“Without a method to collect stranded batteries, they may be dangerously accumulated, unlawfully abandoned, or badly handled domestically and internationally,” the report warns.
Assigning responsibility for ensuring that the batteries are reused, repurposed, or recycled is a vital recommendation. If the battery is still under warranty, the dismantler, if the automobile has reached its end of life, or the vehicle manufacturer, if the retired car does not go to a dismantler, would be responsible.
Although the Legislature could contemplate taking up such a bill, a proposal to make the vehicle manufacturer accountable for most, if not all, batteries at their end of life including covering recycling expenses failed to gain a majority vote.
A proposed environmental handling fee, which would be paid at the time of car purchase, was also turned down.
Labeling the batteries so that recyclers know exactly what’s inside, offering economic incentives to recyclers, and promoting the development of domestic battery manufacture, as most are now created overseas, are among the other acceptable ideas.
Importing the massive batteries has a considerable carbon footprint, and battery material mining in other countries has sparked environmental and labor concerns, including child labor.
However, the 89-page report, which took two and a half years to write and will now necessitate new legislation or rules, does not offer any immediate fixes.
Even practical and welcome initiatives like ReJoule’s pilot project to reuse batteries for solar storage aren’t having it easy.
“The Obstacle Course on the Path to Repurposing Used Electric Vehicle Batteries,” according to ReJoule’s blog. While many of the challenges are technological and logistical, co-founder Chung said the company is also gearing itself for a tough regulatory procedure, despite the fact that it is a critical and much-needed innovator.
“We haven’t started the permitting process yet,” she explained, “but I’ve heard from numerous sources that it may be a major roadblock.”
Is it possible to recycle electric car batteries completely?
Although not 100% recyclable, both lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs) are recyclable. The material extraction procedure is continually being modified and enhanced.
What happens to old Tesla batteries?
Tesla vehicles are built to last, but if repairs are required, Tesla Service Centers can assist you in getting back on the road.
Unlike fossil fuels, which emit toxic emissions that cannot be collected for reuse, the materials in a Tesla lithium-ion battery can be recovered and recycled. Battery materials are refined and placed in a cell, and the cell will remain in the cell until the end of its life cycle, when it can be recycled to recover its valuable ingredients for reuse.
For both environmental and business reasons, extending the life of a battery pack is a better option than recycling. As a result, before decommissioning and recycling a customer battery pack, Tesla does everything possible to extend the battery pack’s usable life. Tesla can service any battery that is no longer meeting a customer’s demands at one of our service centers around the world. None of our abandoned lithium-ion batteries are disposed of in landfills; instead, they are all recycled.
Only qualified personnel at specially specified facilities should handle lithium-ion battery packs. The applicable battery management standards and regulations differ by location and must always be followed.
How long does it take for a battery in an electric car to decompose?
You’re probably familiar with the concept of charging cycles if you’ve ever used a cell phone. Simply explained, a charging cycle is the process of fully charging the array of cells before discharging them.
A lithium battery’s maximum charge capacity will diminish after a substantial number of charge cycles. The deterioration process for these batteries usually starts around 15002000 cycles.
For a cycle to be completed, the array of cells must charge to 100% and then discharge to 0%. While 500 cycles may be sufficient for a phone, it is insufficient for an automobile anticipated to last more than ten years.
Manufacturers of electric vehicles have implemented techniques to ensure that the batteries live longer. The energy management system, for example, prohibits complete charging and discharging, ensuring that the batteries take longer to reach the hazardous cycles.
The batteries will eventually lose capacity as a result of this cycle-aided deterioration. However, you may not notice any substantial performance drops for nearly a decade.
Rapid charging is a technique for charging batteries that uses a direct current. The issue with this charging method is that it generates a lot of heat, which accelerates degradation by increasing chemical processes in the batteries.
EVs have much better performance capabilities than gasoline engines, such as significantly faster acceleration. Constantly drawing high power through rapid acceleration every time you start the car from a standstill, on the other hand, will eventually deplete your batteries.
Excessive heat is not good for the battery’s longevity in general. The latter will shorten the life of your car’s battery. Even while some websites say that warmer regions limit EV battery life, this has not been demonstrated to be a serious concern. Using your vehicle will, of course, shorten the life of your vehicle’s battery. As a result, appropriate use and care are recommended.
In the worst-case situation, your batteries may need to be replaced. Manufacturers are required by federal regulations to warranty batteries for eight years or 100,000 miles, which means that if your battery loses capacity before then, the warranty will most likely cover it.
If the warrant parameters are exceeded, the batteries will cost around $200 per kWh. According to this calculation, a 40kWh will cost around $10,000.
Is mining lithium harmful to the environment?
Water loss, ground destabilization, biodiversity loss, increased salinity of rivers, contaminated soil, and toxic waste are all significant environmental adverse effects of lithium mining. Water loss is the main source of worry in the Salar de Uyuni.
What happens to lithium batteries that are no longer in use?
Single-use, non-rechargeable lithium metal batteries and re-chargeable lithium-polymer cells are the two types of lithium batteries that Americans use and must manage after the end of their useful lives (Li-ion, Li-ion cells).
Furthermore, if the battery or electronic device containing the battery is thrown out or placed in a municipal recycling bin alongside domestic recyclables like plastic, paper, or glass, it may be damaged or crushed during transportation or by processing and sorting machinery, posing a fire hazard.
Instead of being thrown away or placed in municipal recycling bins, Li-ion batteries and those found in electronic devices should be recycled at certified battery electronics recyclers that take batteries.
- Lithium metal is used in a variety of items, including cameras, watches, remote controls, handheld games, and smoke detectors.
- These batteries have specialized shapes (e.g., button cells or coin batteries) for certain equipment, such as some types of cameras: search for the term “lithium” on the battery to help identify them.
- Cellphones, power tools, digital cameras, laptops, children’s toys, e-cigarettes, small and large appliances, tablets, and e-readers are all common places to find them.
- Some Li-ion batteries are simple to remove from the devices they power, while others are not.
Is it true that electric vehicle batteries are classified hazardous waste?
“Some of them may have sufficient power and energy capacity to be used in an energy storage project,” said Chris Mi, an electrical engineering professor at San Diego State University. “You can delay the battery’s entire life cycle if you extend their life for another ten years.”
When Mi talks about employing batteries for energy storage, he’s referring to solar energy storage. Four demonstration projects for reusing electric car batteries are being sponsored by the California Energy Commission (CEC). Two of them are in the county of San Diego.
San Diego State University scientists, as well as those at Smartville, Inc. in Carlsbad, which hosts the other local CEC demonstration project, are working on solar energy storage for use when the sun isn’t shining.
According to Mi, car batteries are ideally adapted for energy storage even after ten years of operation in a vehicle.
Reuse transforms them into a solar-energy bank for businesses and agencies, allowing them to withdraw funds whenever it is convenient.
Solar energy stored on site also eliminates the current inefficient mechanism for dealing with excess solar energy.
“It’s now up to us to return it to the grid. They may not like it since it causes grid instability and no one uses it,” Mi explained.
According to Kevin Wood, a professor of mechanical engineering at SDSU, lithium-ion car batteries are often retired when an electric car loses the vital mileage range that drivers rely on. However, the batteries are still good for 60 to 80 percent of their original capacity.
A automobile battery, according to Wood, may require 100 units of energy to produce through mining, manufacturing, and transportation.
“If we can get it out of an electric vehicle, we can use it in a grid-scale storage application to store another 500 units of energy. Now, if we say it cost us 100 units of energy to create, we can obtain 700 units of energy out of the battery’s life. That is a much more viable future.”
California is a pioneer in the use of electric vehicles. According to the governor’s office, California has 10% of the nation’s autos but 40% of all zero emission vehicles.
Caroline Godkin is CalEPA’s Deputy Secretary for Environmental Policy and has led the Lithium-Ion Car Battery Recycling Advisory Group for the past two years.
According to Godkin, used EV car batteries are hazardous trash.
As a result, the elements of the battery must be recycled in order for it to have a second life as an energy storage vessel.
“When you consider our circular economy and the critical materials that go into these batteries, they are also a source of these critical resources that can be recycled. “Right now, when we think about these things, we have this amazing chance to keep them out of landfills… to keep them back in the value train,” Godkin added.
Lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese are among the important materials that must first be mined.
Electric vehicles account for a modest percentage of all cars and trucks in California. That, according to Godkin, is why we haven’t seen a widespread retirement of electric vehicle batteries, which she predicts will begin in 5 to 10 years.
“What we have now is the opportunity to put policies in place in collaboration with industry and other partners to do it right,” Godkin added.
One crucial challenge to address, according to scientists Chris Mi and Kevin Wood, is finding a means to make automobile battery reuse commercially viable.
China supplies lithium iron phosphate batteries, which are not excellent for automobile batteries but are reasonably priced and suitable for solar energy storage.
“We need to figure out how to keep costs down,” Wood said. “Sustainability and cost are two really significant factors, but they aren’t always linked, right? It is sometimes more expensive to be environmentally conscious. As a result, there will be friction between these two, and we will have to engage in difficult arguments. And the reality is that, in many cases, cost wins.”
The Lithium-ion Car Battery Advisory Group of CalEPA intends to finish its report on battery reuse and recycling this month. The findings will then be presented to the California Legislature, with the hope that policy will be enacted as a result.
One of the key problems is who will be in charge of the battery’s usage or recycling. Is it the automobile maker or the firm that removes it from the vehicle that is to blame?
According to Wood, this is one of numerous difficult arguments that people will have to have before 2035, when all new automobiles in California must be carbon-free.
What % of electric vehicle batteries are recycled?
Only approximately 5% of lithium-ion EV batteries are currently recycled. When compared to the 95 percent recycling rate for lead-acid batteries, this is a very modest percentage. The low rate of EV battery recycling can be attributed to the fact that, when compared to lead-acid batteries, EV batteries are:
In addition, there aren’t many companies that can safely and effectively recycle EV batteries. According to Axios, this could change dramatically in the next years. Axios explains how businesses in the United States operate “might recycle the essential materials within to build new batteries, resulting in a domestic supply chain that is sustainable.” As a consequence, “This might make electric vehicles more inexpensive and help avoid shortages like the current semiconductor problem.”
Why is Tesla’s business model unsustainable?
Tesla does not provide enough information about its vehicle manufacture or product sourcing for consumers to determine how sustainable that process is. Tesla is notoriously inefficient when it comes to using raw materials, with 40% of their purchases going to waste.
Is it possible to recycle all of a Tesla battery?
Moreover, Tesla claims to be able to recover 92 percent of a battery’s ingredients, including tons of nickel, copper, and cobalt. It points out that fossil fuels are harvested and used only once, while the ingredients in a lithium-ion battery are recyclable.