What is EV battery recycling?

How it works

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) describes a typical sequence. Packs are collected, checked for possible reuse, sometimes partly dismantled, then discharged and shredded. Shredding separates foils, plastics and steel from "black mass," the granular remains of the battery's electrodes.

Two main methods pull metals out of black mass. Pyrometallurgy, or smelting, uses heat and generally recovers cobalt and nickel. Lithium takes extra steps. Hydrometallurgy, or leaching, uses liquids. The EPA says it may be able to recover large amounts of cobalt, nickel, lithium and manganese at a workable cost. A third approach, direct recycling, keeps the cathode's engineered structure intact. It is being tried at smaller scale.

Why it matters

A 2019 review in Nature estimated that the more than one million electric cars sold in 2017 would eventually leave about 250,000 metric tons of battery pack waste. Its authors called their assumptions conservative. In a November 2024 report, the International Energy Agency (IEA) used a scenario that meets national climate pledges. It projected recycled batteries could then cover 20% to 30% of lithium, nickel and cobalt demand by 2050 if collection rates keep improving.

The European Union's Batteries Regulation was adopted in July 2023. It requires recycling to recover 90% of cobalt, copper, lead and nickel and 50% of lithium by the end of 2027. Those targets rise to 95% and 80% by the end of 2031. From August 18, 2031, electric vehicle batteries containing cobalt, lithium or nickel must include at least 16% recycled cobalt, 6% recycled lithium and 6% recycled nickel. Those figures were unchanged in the consolidated text dated August 13, 2026.

Where things stand in 2026

Most material being recycled today is factory scrap, not old car batteries, the IEA said in its Global EV Outlook 2026, published in May 2026. Nearly all recently deployed batteries are still in use. The agency does not expect end-of-life packs to become the main feedstock until the mid-2030s. It said China hosts over 85% of global recycling capacity and worldwide capacity is well above available feedstock. It said China began allowing imports of high-grade black mass in August 2025.

In the United States, the EPA says most lithium-ion batteries are likely to be hazardous waste when discarded. On a page last updated on September 18, 2026, it says it plans to propose new rules on managing and recycling end-of-life lithium batteries.