Tesla confirmed that it has significantly increased its battery recycling capacity over the past year. This is part of the effort to create circular economy where new batteries are made. First of all, from materials previously used in old backpacks.
Initially, the company worked with third-party organizations to process and restore battery materials, but since 2019, the processing at battery plants began to be carried out in-house. This will simplify logistics, reduce costs and speed up processes.
In a sustainability report published by the company in 2020, they showed they were able to recover 92% of the materials in a battery. A figure that will continue to improve as the process becomes more complex.
The company’s 2021 environmental impact report then mentions that they were able to recover 1,500 tons of nickel, 300 tons of copper, and 200 tons of cobalt. All of this material has been reused in new batteries.
Increase in production to 50 tons of recyclables per week by the end of 2021. A very significant number. which is not used. It turns out Tesla is still getting very few EV batteries.
Why? Because, contrary to what many people believe, EV batteries typically last longer than the life of a car. In fact, this is usually an anti-electric claim based on bias and lack of evidence.
Most of the batteries that Tesla recycles come from R&D and quality control departments.
Tesla’s battery recycling efforts are particularly relevant as it is the largest electric vehicle manufacturer today. In 2021, they sold nearly a million vehicles. It is expected that in 2022 one and a half million of them will be delivered.
But the vast majority of the batteries Tesla recycles today come from the company’s R&D or quality control departments. That is, these are test and experimental packages.
“Tesla batteries, both in our vehicles and in home and business energy storage products, are built to last for years, which is why we got very few cars on the road.”
“Most of the batteries that Tesla recycles are in the pre-consumer stage, they come from R&D or quality control. None of our battery packs end up in landfills or landfills. Each one is recyclable. created an internal ecosystem for battery recycling.”
Once both concepts—EV batteries are recycled and last for decades—begin to take root in society, many people’s fears about electric mobility will disappear.
Moreover, this is one of the main arguments of some lobbyists and those who are interested in keeping gasoline or diesel cars on sale. It is argued that although the electric vehicle does not emit harmful substances when driving, the production and subsequent disposal of the battery is highly polluting. Which is categorically wrong.
Battery recycling will be a key part of the electric vehicle ecosystem going forward as electric vehicles become more popular and enough time passes for 20-year-old batteries to start being pulled from the market.
Source: Hiper Textual
