EV (vehicle) disposal?

[Neal]

As I was driving home from working on my RV this afternoon I was behind a hybrid and the thought occurred to me, I wonder what the impact is going to be when it comes time to dispose of EV's? Cars these days just get parted out and/or go through some device that just grinds them to scrap. But in the case of EV's we are facing the dilemma of the batteries. I suppose we have enough batteries in our lives these days that it probably won't be any different but this is going to be different it seems. You'd almost think if you wanted to dispose of a vehicle you're not going to be paid for it but have to pay for the disposal of it? Will be interesting as EV's come to end of life in higher numbers than in prior history.

 

[Texas Clodhopper]

Its the same for windmill blades that are piling up.

 

[flyboy013]

I disposed of my 8 old 6V house batteries and got money for them from the recycler. Why would the EV battery be any different?

 

[Oregon Camper]

As I was driving home from working on my RV this afternoon I was behind a hybrid and the thought occurred to me, I wonder what the impact is going to be when it comes time to dispose of EV's? Cars these days just get parted out and/or go through some device that just grinds them to scrap. But in the case of EV's we are facing the dilemma of the batteries. I suppose we have enough batteries in our lives these days that it probably won't be any different but this is going to be different it seems. You'd almost think if you wanted to dispose of a vehicle you're not going to be paid for it but have to pay for the disposal of it? Will be interesting as EV's come to end of life in higher numbers than in prior history.

Maybe they'll bury them in Wyoming with all of those giant windmill blades that aren't making enough electricity to pay their own way.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

There is a startup in greater Phoenix grinding up lithium batteries for recycling. The sister startup elsewhere has not been completed that is charted to use that ground up waist.

Will it happen!? Good question.

 

[John&Andrea]

Its the same for windmill blades that are piling up.

Only so many can be used as tourist attractions.

 

[MemoriesByTheMile]

Currently there is a market for used EV batteries that has formed. Still very small but growing - DIY home solar energy storage systems. When some of the EVs are in smaller accidents but still totaled by insurance, if the batteries are not visibly damaged, some of them are being snapped up.
Over time I fully expect a full cycle feedback from recycling/recovery which will change how the batteries are constructed. And of course as battery chemistries change this will impact recycling too.

 

[GypsyR]

The batteries in Nissan Leafs (in particular) are made up of hundreds of individual cells. Batteries are retired and replaced as bad/unusable when a certain percentage of those cells go bad. DIY solar people have discovered the remaining cells are great for their projects. So the old batteries are highly valued by people willing to take the time to separate the good cells from the bad. To the point when a Leaf is wrecked and goes to salvage there's almost a bidding war on the battery.
Those cars are about gone now though so I expect it's Teslas or something that are the hot ticket. (I'm not up on the latest.)

 

[Neal]

I disposed of my 8 old 6V house batteries and got money for them from the recycler. Why would the EV battery be any different?

My perception is with EV's, solar farms, solar on homes that battery production is or will be at all time highs. How will the back side of that look for recycling or disposal? I realize your house batteries are primarily lead but with Lithium based batteries, how does the recycling picture change?

 

[SGilbert]

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Only so many can be used as tourist attractions.

Dare I ask? What is the attraction to a windmill blade?

 

[Rich W.]

Basically, this question is still to be answered, as stated in the article here:

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Batteries for Electric Vehicles

When I can find a decent deal on a good used Li-ion (85% or better) from a wreck, I buy it to repurpose, but people started catching on to this a few years ago so deals on good used batteries are hard to come by. And IMHO, for the minimal storage they can still provide, the used up EV batteries are not worth the trouble.

 

[John&Andrea]

Dare I ask? What is the attraction to a windmill blade?

One was on display at a HH stop,
Milburn-Price Culture Museum Vega, TX
I guess they had plenty to replace in the area. It was cool to see, you could walk in it .

 

[GypsyR]

Dare I ask? What is the attraction to a windmill blade?

People don't get exactly how humongous those things are without being able to approach one on the ground like that. It is kind of neat to see.