With millions of new EVs hitting the roads every year, we are set to be hit by a tidal wave of battery waste – 235,000 tonnes[1][i] of it in the UK alone over the next 15 years. That’s enough fill a four-lane motorway from John O’Groats to Land’s End. Without urgent action, it’s safe to say that the consequence of EV adoption will be stark.
A truly circular battery economy hinges on advanced technology with two critical functions: identifying the ‘good’ batteries that can be repurposed for a second life from ‘spent’ batteries that require recycling; and safely recycling the ‘spent’ ones.
What’s preventing EV battery recycling at scale?
The biggest barrier isn’t recycling itself, but the preparation process.
Much like the cleaning process required for recycling plastics, batteries must also go through preparation for recycling. Instead of washing excess food from a takeaway container, the process requires extracting the residual energy from the batteries – a far more challenging and dangerous process.
Not discharging energy from the batteries ahead of recycling poses a significant risk. With one Nissan Leaf battery capable of powering an entire household for three days[1][ii], it’s easy to imagine the damage that could result from hundreds of these batteries discharging uncontrollably, all at once.
The discharging process remains a major productivity issue and a major barrier to mass recycling. Current techniques are often unsustainable, slow, or dangerously uncontrolled. What’s more, the energy – equivalent to around 70GWh annually in Europe by 2035[1][iii] – is often wasted. That’s enough to power 6,500 UK households for a year.
Getting the discharge process right is critical to driving a circular EV economy – it must be efficient, scalable, and ultimately safe. Equally, it presents an opportunity to channel 70GWh of energy onto the grid, which can be used to cut emissions and improve the business case for recycling.
Bringing supply chains to home soil
EV battery recycling presents an opportunity to bring supply chains back to home soil. Currently, the UK is entirely dependent on raw materials from foreign sources. Recovering these materials from spent batteries can help reduce reliance on this fragile supply network. With 36 million EV’s expected to hit UK roads by 2040[1][iv], equating to 235,000 tonnes [1][v]of battery waste in the pipeline, there will be plenty of supply.
Without high recovery rates of the raw materials, the world could be wasting billions of dollars annually, while driving a continued reliance on foreign sources for the raw materials. Materials shortages, coupled with growing EV adoption rates pose a significant economic risk for the EV transition – one that can be directly addressed through an EV battery recycling market.
Adopting a holistic approach to unlock the used EV market
It will come as no surprise that an EV’s value is nothing without its battery. The fear of poor or degraded batteries – a far less common issue than many may believe – has profound impacts on the EV transition.
From insurers to fleet operators, without 100% certainty that a battery is healthy, it will often be scrapped. In many cases, even small cosmetic scratches to an EV battery housing are enough for insurers to write off the entire battery – a potentially perfectly good asset worth thousands of pounds. More fundamentally, fear of poor battery health is the single biggest barrier preventing a strong used EV market in the UK[1][vi].
The safe and rapid discharging of EV batteries can enable this, providing reliable diagnostics at the same time. This helps certify the health of each battery and gives drivers, fleets and insurers confidence in its usability. The resulting lower insurance premiums and high consumer confidence could see nearly 17 million extra drivers get behind the wheel of a used EV in the UK alone[1][vii].
With challenge comes opportunity – one worth $40 billion by 2030
From reducing reliance on foreign raw materials and tackling the looming tidal wave of battery waste, to building a vibrant used EV market, battery recycling holds immense potential. It could see the UK grasp an opportunity worth over $40 billion[1][viii], boosting growth and putting the country at the forefront of a circular EV economy.
Dr Mahfuz Kamal is CEO at Recovolt
[1][i] Advanced Propulsion Centre UK: UK’s biggest opportunity from battery waste is to feed its cathode manufacturing industry
[1][ii] Best Chargers: Vehicle to home bidirectional charging compatible cars 2025
[1][iii] Faraday Institute: Developing a UK lithium-ion battery recycling industry*
[1][iv] National Grid: Keeping 36 million electric vehicles on the move
[1][v] Advanced Propulsion Centre UK: UK’s biggest opportunity from battery waste is to feed its cathode manufacturing industry
[1][vi] Green Finance Institute: Used EV Market: The Key to Unlocking Net Zero
[1][vii] Green Finance Institute: Used EV Market: The Key to Unlocking Net Zero
[1][viii] The Faraday Institution: Developing a UK lithium-ion battery recycling industry
*Data assumes batteries are 50% charged when arriving for recycling, applying a 50% factor to Europe’s expected 140GWh of battery recycling available by 2035.
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