Are China's EV batteries ready for reuse & recycling?

China is faced with an enormous wave of batteries ready for reuse and recycling stemming from the world’s largest EV uptake starting around six years ago. In the last six months, the Chinese government has issued a series of new directives to ensure the battery reuse and recycling industries can effectively expand to scale. * * *

Can electric-vehicle lithium-ion batteries be recycled and re-used?

Here we outline and evaluate the current range of approaches to electric-vehicle lithium-ion battery recycling and re-use, and highlight areas for future progress. Processes for dismantling and recycling lithium-ion battery packs from scrap electric vehicles are outlined.

Could second-use batteries stifle the development of a recycling industry?

The environmental and economic advantages of second-use and the low volume of electric-vehicle batteries currently available for recycling could stifle the development of a recycling industry in some places.

What is the difference between re-use and recycling batteries?

‘Re-use’ means that electric-vehicle batteries should have a second use. ‘Recycling’ means that batteries should be recycled, recovering as much material as possible and preserving any structural value and quality (for example, preventing contamination).