Effective batteries are a core component of electric vehicles.
EV Magazine reported that CEVA Logistics has come up with a method to recycle EV batteries across Europe.
The technology will help to achieve the European Union's new battery recycling mandates that take effect on Dec. 31: at least 65% of a lithium battery's weight must be recycled or reused. This will rise to 70% five years later.
Coltura reported that EV batteries in 2025 should last for 20 years and 200,000 miles. Batteries made before 2025, however, don't have that kind of lifespan as technology had not yet developed to this level.
Most EV batteries, EV Magazine noted, have a lifespan of roughly 10 years. After that amount of time, they can be retired from EV use and repurposed to do tasks like energy storage.
CEVA Logistics' intervention will pull many EV batteries that are reaching their limits back into the supply chain through recycling. They propose a reverse logistics service. This would involve managing the process through which consumers return the product to the manufacturer or distributor.
By 2027, the company aims to establish 10 battery recycling centers across Europe. There, these batteries would be collected, assessed, and transitioned to their next stage of life. Before the end of 2025, France, the U.K., and Spain will each have a battery recycling center, EV Magazine explained.
"Given the challenges of recycling and reusing batteries, it seemed essential to us to propose robust and virtuous solutions to support the automotive sector in strengthening the circular economy," said CEO Mathieu Friedberg.
Keeping the resources in circulation has extended environmental benefits. If lithium batteries are simply thrown away, they run the risk of leaching toxins into soil and water systems.
By recycling or reusing the batteries, CEVA can also reduce the need for resource mining.
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The upfront cost 💰 Mining for lithium is an energy-intensive process, requiring a large amount of water. Processes for lithium mining have become more sustainable over time. But many still cite the environmental impact of the mining process as a strike against widespread adoption of EVs.
Battery recycling helps build on the environmental advantages of shifting to EVs over gas-powered vehicles.
According to the MIT Climate Portal, during "the course of their driving lifetimes, EVs will create fewer carbon emissions than gasoline-burning cars under nearly any conditions."
Sustainability interventions like CEVA Logistics' reverse logistics recycling strategy can help mitigate the worsening effects of our planet overheating. Europe's emphasis on the circular supply chain for batteries should reduce waste and decrease the need for pollution-heavy manufacturing.
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