April 19, 2022
Thisguide will tell you all about your electric car's battery and why recycling it is vital.
🚗 How does your electric car battery work?
Did you know that the first car to exceed 100 km/h was an electric car? Called the "Jamais contente", it was the first car to exceed such a speed, back in 1899. Since then, the composition and operation of batteries have changed considerably, with the aim of achieving a range approaching that of combustion-powered cars.
Today's electric car batteries are made of lithium-ion, and have been since 1991. The principle is simple, and is based on the circulation of electrons to create a difference between two electrodes (one positive, the other negative) within a liquid component known as the "electrolyte".
When the battery is operating, electrons are released, creating a discharge phase.
Conversely, the charging phase is, as you may have guessed, caused by the recharging of the battery, with a return of electrons from the positive electrode to the negative.
☀️ The life of your electric car battery
The lifespan of your electric vehicle's battery depends to a large extent on the charge/discharge cycles it undergoes throughout its life. So, theoretically, a battery has the capacity to perform 1,000 to 2,000 charge/discharge cycles. This means an estimated lifespan of 8 to 10 years for around 160,000 km.
It's important to note that a recharge cycle is only counted when the battery has been fully recharged. The battery is then replaced by a new one as soon as 70% of its energy storage capacity has been depleted.
It's important to emphasize the important research being carried out in the field of optimizing battery recharging capacity and lifetime, which should lead to major improvements in the long term.
This phenomenon is largely due to the development of the electric vehicle market and government measures against combustion-powered mobility.
♻️ The battery recycling process
So when battery storage capacity falls below 75%, we strongly recommend that you have it replaced.
The used battery is then partially recycled, in line with European regulations requiring the recycling of a minimum of 50% of battery materials. This minimum percentage can be far exceeded, as is the case in France, with an average of 65% of materials recycled.
The recycling process takes place in 4 stages:
- Battery completely discharged
- Plastic, electronics and aluminum are removed
- The remainder is ground to a powder
- The powder is then sorted to extract the metals.
⚠️ Recycling your battery
One of the main challenges of battery recycling is simple: there are 220,000 electric vehicles in France today, and the materials that make up their batteries are becoming increasingly rare. Rare metals such as lithium, copper and cobalt are extracted using environmentally hazardous methods, and are mainly non-renewable resources. If recycling were systematic and optimized, it could alleviate these shortages and meet the growing demand for electric vehicles.
Another point arising from this first issue is the reduction of environmental impact through the recycling of electric car batteries. As mentioned above, the extraction of these rare components is highly polluting and difficult. Optimized battery recycling would reduce the environmental impact of the production and life cycle of electric cars, and thus boost their use as a real substitute for internal combustion engines.
Finally, optimized battery recycling will reduce the cost of internal combustion vehicles. This is no mean feat, given that it would reduce the need to extract certain metals by 25-55%. The European Commission has decided to impose the systematic use of recycled metals in construction by 2030.
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