A Science Daily article reports That new EV battery will be a headache to recycle.
« As electric vehicle production revs up across the globe, an inherent consequence will be the mutually growing number of retired lithium-ion batteries that, unlike traditional lead-acid car batteries, are difficult to dispose of. »
« “What to do with all these retired electric vehicle batteries is going to be a huge issue,” said Fengqi You, professor in energy systems engineering at Cornell »
« “Lithium-ion batteries are designed today for performance and not for recycling or second life,” said You, noting that electric vehicle batteries typically last 5 to 12 years before they lose the energy capacity needed to power a vehicle. “There’s very little discussion right now about these environmental dimensions of improving battery design for recycling or reuse.” »
« cobalt is a common battery material that, when mined, is energy-intensive and damaging to the environment. Replacing cobalt with nickel can alleviate those concerns, but most life cycle scenarios reveal there are tradeoffs. »
Related: Sumitomo Metal has developed a method to recycle EV batteries, facilitating a more reliable supply of cobalt, lithium and copper.
Articles of Interest 