Solving The EV Battery Recycling Puzzle

Short Wave

NPR

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4.7 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 23 September 2024

⏱️ 16 minutes

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Summary

Electric vehicle batteries will all, eventually, reach the end of their lives. When that happens, they should be recycled. But what breakthroughs could make that happen cleanly, efficiently — and close to home? Today, business correspondent Camila Domonoske takes us on a tour of one company trying to crack the EV battery recycling puzzle — to learn what this case study can tell us about the larger battery picture. Plus, why recycling is kind of like wresting with Lego bricks.

Read more of Camila's reporting on EV battery recycling.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This message comes from the Center for U.S. Voters Abroad Foundation.
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0:13.5	Visit International Voter.com.
0:16.0	You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.
0:21.0	Hey Shortwaivers Regina Barbara here with cars and energy correspondent Camila
0:26.4	Daminoski.
0:27.4	Camila, what are you doing here?
0:29.3	I'm here to talk about recycling, recycling electric vehicle batteries.
0:34.9	Excellent.
0:35.6	Which is a huge deal.
0:37.0	Yes.
0:38.0	And this is really important because as you know,
0:39.4	electric vehicle batteries at the end of their life are a big problem.
0:42.8	If they're not recycled, they're hazardous waste in the fire hazard sense as well as the toxic leak
0:48.7	sense.
0:49.7	And you know, Gina, I talk to drivers all the time and I hear from a lot of people who are really worried
0:54.2	about this and they aren't even sure if EV batteries are recyclable.
0:59.5	Well, are they?
1:00.5	Yes, in fact, some EV batteries are being recycled right now.
1:05.0	But the process is fairly complicated and a lot of these batteries are being shipped to Asia for key steps in the recycling process.
1:13.8	Obviously that is not super efficient.
	...

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