EV Battery Disposal a Major Concern

A recent article by Ronald Stein, P.E., a featured speaker at CIPA’s 2021 Annual Meeting, highlights emerging challenges around the disposal and recycling of electric vehicle (EV) batteries, an issue that is increasingly complex and economically burdensome.

Among the key concerns:

• Toxicity & fire risk: Damaged or end-of-life lithium-ion batteries can be toxic and prone to high-energy thermal events, particularly when exposed to heat or structural damage – risks demonstrated during recent California wildfires.

• High cost and logistics: Battery packs (often ~1,000 lb.) require specialized transport and handling; only cobalt presently offers a profitable recovery stream. Much of the cost comes from transit, not chemistry.

• Limited recycling capacity: As of 2019, less than 5 % of EV batteries in the U.S. were being recycled though direct cathode recycling and DOE initiatives may improve this.

• Global supply chain & environmental justice: The mining of lithium, cobalt, and nickel has caused environmental damage and human rights concerns in developing countries.

• Second-life battery markets uncertain: While EV batteries can be repurposed for stationary energy storage, it is unclear how scalable or dependable this reuse will be, and how it will compete against primary recycling.

CIPA reiterates its support for an all‑of‑the‑above energy strategy acknowledging that oil and natural gas have been thoroughly studied, regulated, and managed under globally recognized frameworks for more than a century. California’s fossil fuel emissions, supply, economic, and environmental impacts are well quantified and contained.

By contrast, EV battery disposal remains fraught with unknowns, ranging from toxicity, wildfire hazards, and recycling bottlenecks, to geopolitical environmental externalities not yet fully addressed by policy or infrastructure.

While electric vehicles have a place in the transportation economy, lawmakers must not ignore the real and growing environmental and financial challenges of battery storage and disposal. Oil and gas remain the only dependable and scientifically controlled energy sources that are well-studied and mitigated for through the entire life cycle.