Discarded batteries from electric vehicles (EVs) are less likely to get a second life. The proportion of batteries eligible for reuse has more than halved. At first glance, this seems like bad news, but according to Auto Recycling Nederland (ARN) it is actually good news. Batteries have a longer lifespan, for instance, which means they are only discarded at a later stage and are less often suitable for reuse.
Batteries in EVs wear out, just like any other part of a vehicle. If the battery's capacity declines too far, it is no longer suitable for use in an EV. However, this does not mean that the battery is unusable; batteries can be reused in other systems, giving them a second life.
Reuse of batteries by Nissan and Kia
One concrete example is batteries from Nissan Leafs and Kia cars, which are reused in energy storage systems, for example. In 2019, for instance, Nissan already announced its intention to reuse discarded batteries from Nissan Leafs. This since, according to the car manufacturer, the lifespan of a battery is considerably longer than that of a Nissan Leaf itself. For instance, according to Nissan, an average car lasts about 10 years, while a battery easily has a lifespan of 22 years.
The company uses the batteries for energy storage systems. In 2018, for example, a storage system with a capacity of 3 MWh was realised in the Johan Cruijf ArenA. The company also offers energy storage systems for homes based on Nissan Leaf batteries.
Kia also reuses discarded batteries from its EVs in energy storage systems. For this purpose, it cooperates with encore, a start-up that is part of Deutsche Bahn. encore has been active in this field for some time and offers, among other things, a return service for used batteries. The company reuses these batteries in energy storage systems, which have been implemented at Deutsche Bahn subsidiaries DB Schenker and DB Cargo, among others.
Only 23% of batteries received a second life
The proportion of batteries eligible for recycling is therefore declining. ARN collected a total of 112,617 kilograms of discarded batteries in 2022. Of these, 23% were given a second life, for example as part of an energy storage system. This percentage was 53% the year before.
Several factors play a role here. For instance, parties repair lithium-ion batteries in cars more often instead of replacing a battery pack completely. In this case, a repairer only replaces battery modules that actually malfunction. These battery modules are often less suitable for reuse.
This is also reflected in the ratio of complete battery packs to battery modules collected by ARN. Over three quarters of the components collected now consist of battery modules.
'Batteries last longer than expected'
At the same time, ARN points out that the tonnage of batteries collected is still limited compared to the total number of batteries in the Dutch vehicle fleet. On this basis, the organisation concludes that batteries apparently last longer than previously expected.
The total tonnage collected and recycled on an annual basis fluctuates in the market. ARN expects the number of batteries collected to increase substantially in three to five years' time. That is when the first bulk of drive batteries from EVs is expected to be at the end of its service life.
77% of car batteries are recycled
Batteries that do not qualify for a second life do not end up in landfills, but are recycled. They go to a recycling company, which recovers scarce raw materials such as cobalt and nickel. 77% of end-of-life car batteries will have been recycled by 2022, up from 47% a year earlier. This process takes place at specialised companies across Europe. 23% were given a second life, compared to 53% a year earlier. Recycling of car batteries often takes place through companies based in the Netherlands.
Looking specifically at the Netherlands, 69% of batteries and battery modules collected were recycled. This is more than the requirement from the government, which states that at least 50% by weight of collected lithium-ion batteries should be recycled.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Photo: Goran Horvat via Pixabay
