84 INNOVATION & TECH TODAY|SUMMER 2019
Produced in partnership withconventionalcarsemitovertwiceasmuch
annually.WhileEVsdoproducefewer
emissions,it isimportanttorememberthatthis
isn’ta perfecttechnology.Peopleshouldnot
blindlyassumethatEVs are a no-emission
super-technology.
Inordertotrulybecarbonneutral,EVswould
needtogettheirenergyfromrenewableenergy
resources.Thismeansutilizingsolar-powered
chargingstationsorconnectingyourhometoa
localwindfarmor installing solar panels on
yourhome.
Whereyourenergycomesfromaffectsthe
emissionimpactofyourEV.Currently,across
theU.S.,35.24percentofenergycomesfrom
naturalgasand27.52percentcomesfromcoal.
Alternatively,only6.86percent,6.6percent,and
1.6percentofenergycomesfromhydro,wind,
andsolarpowerrespectively,meaningthatEVs
areonlyassustainable as their energy source.Endof Life
Thereisonekeyquestionthathasloomed
overtheEVindustrysinceitsinception:whatto
dowiththelithium-ionbatteries(LIBs)when
theywearout.Ifunfamiliarwiththeconceptof
a lithium-ionbattery,looknofurtherthanthe
smartphoneinyourpocket.ALIBisa typeof
rechargeablebatteryoftenusedforportable
electronics,andalsousedinEVs.
While these batteries are rechargeable, they donotlastforever,andeventuallytheirabilityto
holda chargewilldeplete.Whathappensafter
thatisa bitcomplicated.TheGuardianreported
thatintheEU,asfewasfivepercentoflithium-
ionbatteriesarerecycled.Notonlydothese
batteriescarrya riskofgivingofftoxicgasesif
damaged,butcoreingredientssuchaslithium
andcobaltarefiniteandextractioncanleadto
waterpollutionanddepletion.(However,it
shouldbeacknowledgedthatatleastpartofthe
reasonforthelowrecyclerateofLIBsisthat
manyoldelectronicsget stowed away in the
bottomofdrawers.)
Becauseofthislowrecyclingrate,certain
regulationsarebeingestablishedtomotivateEV
manufacturerstotakemoreresponsibilityfor
theirproduct’send-of-lifeprocesses.IntheEU,
themakersofbatteriesarerequiredtofinance
thecostsofcollecting,treating,andrecyclingall
collectedbatteries.Thishasevenledtocertain
partnershipsbetweenmanufacturersand
recyclingcompanies.Umicore,a battery
recyclinggiantinEurope,hasdealswithboth
TeslaandToyotatorecycletheirbatteries.
Unfortunately,theproblemdoesn’tendthere.
Whilecommercialsmeltingprocessescaneasily
recovermanymetals,likecobaltandnickel, they
can’trecoverlithium– thatcostsextra.
InJune2017,MorganStanleyforecastedno
recyclingoflithiuminthedecadeahead,and
that there risked being insufficient recyclinginfrastructureinplacewhenthecurrentwaveof
batteriesdie.“There’sa differencebetween
beingabletodosomethingandit making
economicsense,”explainedJessicaAlsford,head
ofMorgan Stanley’s global sustainable research
team.
Itwouldseemthatthefinancesand
infrastructurejustaren’tquitethereforfull
recyclingcapabilities,atleastnotyet.Inthe
meantime,theanswercouldbereusing.Nissan,
forinstance,partneredwithpowermanagement
firmEatontohaveitscarbatteries reused for
homeenergystorage.
Aceleron,whichwasrecognizedbyForbesas
oneofthe 30 mostexcitingtechstartupsin
Europein2017,alsobelievesinthereusability
ofthesebatteries.Accordingtothestartup,car
batteriescanstillhaveupto 70 percentoftheir
capacitywhentheystopbeinggoodenoughto
powerelectricvehicles,whichmakesthem
perfectforfunctionssuchashomeenergy
storage.Aceleronhasa patentedprocessfor
breakingdown,testing,and repackaging the
batteriesforhomeuse.
It’sa reminderthattechnologyneedstobe
viewedthrougha criticallense.WhileEVs,and
thosewhodevelopthem,havehelpedcurb
emissions,it’simportanttoacknowledgethe
weaknessesofthisnewtechnology.Itisonlyby
thisconstantscrutinizationthatwe’llbeable to
achieve a more sustainable future.■(Left)Auditestsfactoryvehiclespoweredbyused
lithium-ionbatteriesfromelectriccars.Afterthe
batterieshavebeentakenback,theycancontinue
to be used sensibly and sustainably.Photos AudiTaking a Deeper Look at Electric Vehicles