Thread by @WIRED

Where do electric vehicle batteries go when they die? Right now, Oklahoma City, of all places. Here’s what’s going on: 1/12

A Dutchman-turned-Oklahoman named Dirk Spiers has for a decade worked to transform his Spiers New Technologies into an authority on the death—and life—of batteries. In his facilities, batteries are disassembled, fixed, refurbished, and recycled. 2/12

But the world will need many, many more companies like SNT. 230 million EVs may be on the road by 2030; millions of batteries may be at or close to retirement by then. 3/12

Batteries are tricky: They can be dangerous, and incorrect handling can lead to noxious fumes and fires. 4/12

So what happens next? Will electric vehicles batteries become the Achilles heel of the green revolution? Or will the world seize the opportunity to use the valuable materials inside electric vehicles for profit—and good?

wired.com/story/cars-goi… 5/12

One option: recycling. A growing scrum of entrepreneurs see old electric vehicle batteries as potential material for new ones. Recyclers can break them down with fire or chemicals and keep the valuable cobalt and lithium inside for reuse. 6/12

This “urban mining” could help avoid the resource and emissions-intensive extraction of battery materials, which has been linked to labor abuses. But it’s very expensive to move 1,000-pound battery packs around the world.

wired.com/story/cars-goi… 7/12

So researchers from Switzerland to England to Chicago are working on clever ways to break down batteries. One delicately deconstructs batteries with a machine. Another blasts apart batteries’ sticky adhesives with sound waves.

wired.com/story/make-eco… 8/12

Meanwhile, battery makers are contemplating redesigning electric vehicle batteries to be more recycle-able. 9/12

Another option: Reuse the electric vehicle batteries before they’re recycled. Turns out batteries that can no longer power a car still have at least ⅔ of their original capacity. 10/12

Should we use old EV batteries to power elevators? Store extra solar and wind power? Chill convenience store beer? Support a shaky power grid? And will the batteries be up to the task?

wired.com/story/batterie… 11/12

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