Woman debunks common myth about electric vehicle batteries: 'They're worth something'

An electrification and EV advocate from Australia uploaded a TikTok video that helped explain a misunderstanding about electric vehicle batteries that she says often appears in her comment sections.  

While the technology and processes for recycling EV batteries are still evolving, the materials typically used in these batteries — like lithium, cobalt, nickel, and copper — are valuable and can be recovered and reused in new batteries or other products. However, some EV opponents often perpetuate falsehoods about batteries that may confuse some people. 

The TikToker, Sarah Aubrey of Electrify This (@electrify_this), went into detail regarding a common myth about most EV batteries, captioning the post "Let's put this battery myth to bed shall we?"  

@electrify_this Let's put this battery myth to bed shall we? #evmythbusting #ev #electriccar #electriccars ♬ original sound - Electrify This

After acknowledging that she receives troll comments all the time, the TikToker revealed that one particular comment rears its ugly head often: "Batteries don't get recycled. They go into landfill," she quoted. 

But the TikToker quickly fired back, "No, they don't. When you break down a battery and recycle it, it turns into this thing called black mass." 

Not only can this material be safely harvested, says Aubrey, but it can be worth around 5,000 Australian dollars ($3,300). 

"Do you think people would just be throwing 5,000 dollars onto a rubbish dump?" she asked. 

But she didn't stop there. She noted that it is even possible to recycle smaller batteries such as double-A and triple-A batteries. "They're worth something," Aubrey explained.

While it's true that mining for materials used in EV batteries can be harmful, recycling these batteries can help reduce the need to mine. This goes a long way in minimizing the environmental impact of extraction and helps promote a more eco-friendly option.  

Down in the comments section, many users offered up their support for the original poster.

Do you worry about the longevity of EV batteries? For sure 💯 Not really 🤷 Not at all 🙅 I've never thought about it 🤔 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"What baffles me is the climate denialists suddenly become staunch environmentalists when talking about EVs!?" asked one commenter. 

"People take [their] old ICE car to the scrapyard for a few hundred dollars but somehow an EV battery [isn't] worth it," quipped another user. 

However, a few users appeared to strongly disagree with the TikToker, saying that there were other claims. "I hope you are right, every other source says otherwise," they wrote, without naming specific sources.  

While it's possible that there are improperly disposed EV batteries, the TikToker has a logical point about the materials generally being too valuable to waste. 

Other recognizable sources, such as the BBC, have reported recently that recycling capacity has been ramping up for this reason — though EV batteries have had a reputation for being difficult to recycle. 

The media platform InsideEVs and the used-EV services company Recurrent have also recently pointed to another reason EV batteries are not landfilled — these power packs can outlive the vehicles and have value for reuse even before being recycled.

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