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New Energy World
New Energy World embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low carbon technologies.
Charging up: the growing potential for second life batteries
4/9/2024
8 min read
Feature
Growing adoption of electric vehicles (EV) is boosting demand for the critical minerals needed to build new batteries. As these batteries reach end-of-life (EOL) it is crucial that the materials they contain are managed and recycled appropriately. In parallel, there is an emerging market for second-life batteries with innovative applications, writes New Energy World Features Editor Brian Davis AMEI.
Although China currently leads the world in EV battery recycling, the US has numerous initiatives underway, supported by the Inflation Reduction Act. Meanwhile, the UK and other European players also have a significant opportunity in the longer-term. Indeed, the European Battery Directive sets targets for collection and recycling of EV batteries.
The Faraday Institution points out in its latest Faraday Insights report (July 2024): ‘Creating a circular battery economy through recycling in the UK would not only reduce its dependency on importing critical materials… but also reduce carbon emissions, environmental costs and the need for mining virgin raw materials around the world.’
The UK Department for Trade and Industry’s (2023) Battery Strategy emphasises that ‘recycling will be a vital part of the development of a more secure and resilient battery supply chain’.