Inside The Complex World Of Disposing Of Electric Vehicle Batteries

Although EVs are rapidly gaining ground on traditional gas-powered automobiles in the name of environmentalism, there’s a glaring problem surrounding the batteries that power these vehicles.

From mining for rare minerals to the energy required to produce them to concerns about how they’re discarded after they die, there’s a lot of concern about the impact that these batteries have on the Earth.

Focusing on recycling

It’s hardly an exact science at this point, but with millions of new EVs hitting the road over the next few years, industry insiders and climate change activists know that being able to recycle the components of expired batteries will be a pivotal piece of the puzzle.

The nascent battery recycling sector isn’t expected to be fully up and running in America until the beginning of the next decade. In China, where a majority of batteries are produced and consumed, however, the process is off to a more ambitious start.

An Oklahoma City company called Spiers New Technology is leading the charge domestically by pioneering processes by which dead or damaged batteries can be ethically and responsibly handled. In less than a decade, it’s gone from two employees to a staff of more than 400.

Exploring other options

Recycling and reusing the materials in EV batteries is important, but as Dirk Spiers says of the company he founded in 2014, it is really the last resort for batteries that have no more usefulness left in them.

Through a proprietary diagnostic system nicknamed “Alfred,” batteries that arrive at the company can be given new life in a number of other ways, including:

• Repair: Fixing an issue that gets the battery back into operational condition
• Remanufacture: Building the battery to its original specifications
• Refurbishing: Improving the battery to meet current industry standards

Chris Agee March 28th, 2023

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