New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Battery Management Act Bill S3723 on January 8, 2024. This puts his State ahead of the rest of the pack. in terms of extended manufacturer responsibility for electric vehicle batteries. We decided to find out what these battery recycling regulations involve, as other States could do something similar.
The Scope of The Battery Recycling Regulations
The Bill only applies to what it calls propulsion batteries, ‘which … supply power to propel an electric or hybrid road vehicle’. An electric vehicle in turn means as follows:
- A vehicle that derives all or part of its power from electricity supplied by the electric grid.
- With a battery or equivalent energy storage device, that can be charged from an external electricity supply.
- This definition includes a plug-in hybrid vehicle, implying that it may use additional energy sources.
Duties and Obligations of Propulsion Battery Makers
Manufacturers of propulsion batteries, including electric vehicle, lithium-ion and nickel-metal-hydride types, must prepare, and submit battery management plans to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for approval.
Such plans may detail battery-take-back, or vehicle-take-back schemes, or some other collection method. But they must also educate consumers regarding collection options, via a permanent label on the battery itself.
Responsibilities of Department of Environmental Protection
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, from its side must establish:
- How many suitable battery recycling points there are in the State.
- How this number compares with how many the new Bill requires.
Propulsion battery makers must submit their reports within 180 days, while the Bill allows the Department 18 months to follow through. We will report further on these battery recycling regulations, as the story grows.
More Information
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