One in every three vehicles sold in China today is electric, compared to 8% to 9% in Europe and United States. Bloomberg believes China could reach 50% by 2026 according to ET Auto. This would be 10 years ahead of target, creating a challenge for authorities responsible for recycling EV batteries in China.
Is China Unprepared for Recycling These Volumes of EV Batteries?
This appears to be the case per ET Auto’s interpretation of the Bloomberg report. The Asian nation faces a challenge of recycling four times more EV batteries in 2030, than it did in 2021. But there are apparently other issues that compound the problem:
- China’s used battery-recovery rules are work-in-progress and imperfect.
- Battery and EV manufacturers may struggle to retrieve used batteries.
- Many electric vehicle owners don’t know they can exchange them for cash.
- And as a result, the recycling industry may not have a reliable supply.
A vacuum like this cannot exist for long, before something else arrives to fill it. In this particular case, that ‘something’ is an informal sector, comprising individuals sourcing spent batteries from electric vehicle users.
Transactions are in cash, where after the spent EV battery either goes to an unlicensed workshop, an intermediary, or directly to an official recycling plant. As many as a fifth of all China’s used electric vehicle batteries may be following the unlicensed stream.
Once You Allow These Small Workshops to Exist, Then What?
“Once you allow these small workshops to exist,” explains a large recycling company manager in China, ‘the resources will flow to wherever they can generate the highest return, just like drugs”.
Those informal operators recycling EV batteries concentrate on dismantling them, and shredding them into a ‘black mass’ of powder. This task involves forcing batteries apart with wrecking bars and electric saws, with the risk of injuries, short circuits and fires ever present.
More Information
Processing Battery Black Mass at End of Life
Making Electric Car Batteries Easier to Recycle
Preview Image: Battery Recycling Backlog in China
