Support of Electric Vehicles and Charging Facilities （4）

Editor’s Note: These series are selected from manual Electric Vehicle Community Market Launch Manual: A Guide to Prepare Your Community for Electric Vehicles which was prepared by the Electric Transportation Coalition (ETC) and the Electric Vehicle Association of the Americas (EVAA) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

BATTERY RECYCLING (2)

According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), reclamation and recycling processes for mid-term batteries, as defined by the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC), are partially developed. A feasibility study has shown recycling of nickel metal-hydride batteries to be cost effective.

Long-term battery technologies, as defined by USABC (including lithium-polymer batteries), are still in the research and development stage. Therefore, the recycling processes for these types of batteries cannot yet be well defined. One of the stated goals of USABC is to develop batteries that are both recyclable and nontoxic.

The following table shows the existing U.S. and Canada battery recycling facilities and the types of batteries currently being recycled: 

Battery Recycler  Location Battery Type Recycled
ToxCo British Columbia, Canada Lithium
Recovery & Reclamation Pecos, Texas Zinc
GNB Los Angeles, California
Dallas, Texas
Columbus, Georgia		 Lead-acid
RSR Quemetco, Inc. City of Industry, California
Dallas, Texas		 Lead-acid
Sanders Lead Troy, Alabama Lead-acid
Skuylkill Metals Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Forest City, Missouri		 Lead-acid
Refined Metals Indianapolis, Indiana
Memphis, Tennessee		 Lead-acid
The Doe Run Company Boss, Missouri Lead-acid
Kinsbursky Bros. Anaheim, California

Lead-acid
Nickel-cadmium
INMETCO Pennsylvania Nickel-cadmium
Nickel-iron
Nickel metal-hydride

Battery recycling programs can be either market-based or regulated. In the market based recycling scenario, the value of the recycled materials exceeds or offsets the cost of recycling. In the regulatory scenario, recycling costs must be born, regardless of the value—or lack thereof—of the recycled materials. These costs are usually passed on to the user in the form of a disposal fee or by increasing the cost of the battery. In some cases, the government will bear the costs. While a market-based system is generally preferable as it helps reduce overall program costs, its success depends on obtaining a profitable recovery value for the recycled materials.

Encouraging the recycling of batteries at the community level involves the following:

  • Supporting adoption of the Universal Waste Rule at the state and local levels
  • Establishing a system of battery collection points in the community
  • Determining whether battery recycling should be pursued as an alternative to other disposal methods

Communities should encourage a large number of collection points to collect the greatest number of different battery types. The techniques below have helped many communities successfully establish collections points for spent lead-acid batteries:

  • Prohibiting the disposal of batteries in landfills
  • Requiring a deposit when a battery is first purchased
  • Relying on the materials recycled value

In some cases, a community might encourage the formation of a secondary battery market, followed by recycling when the battery is no longer deemed usable. Batteries that can no longer provide the performance needed to power a vehicle can still serve many other functions. Possible secondary uses include providing utility peak-shaving capabilities or back-up emergency power to hospitals. Encouraging a secondary market helps improve EV economics as well as ensure delivery of the maximum value from the battery before recycling.

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February 20, 2008 · Filed Under Electric Car Conversion Blog

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