Tesla Says It Can Now Recycle 92% of Battery Cell Materials

Source: Chris Young · INTERESTING ENGINEERING · | August 10, 2021

The electric vehicle maker recycled 1,300 tons of nickel in 2020.

Source: Sky_Blue/iStock

Tesla released its 2020 Impact Report this week, in which the electric vehicle (EV) automaker claims it has the capacity to recover approximately 92 percent of battery cell materials thanks to ongoing improvements to its recycling process. 

The company has been working with third-party recycling firms for years to improve its capacity for end-of-life battery recycling. In doing so it hopes to curb the environmental cost of mining materials such as cobalt that are needed for the batteries — one of the main points EV detractors bring up when arguing against the technology.

We need to talk about lithium-ion batteries

Since its inception, Tesla has been keenly aware of the environmental impact of battery production. A recent IVL report, for example, stated that lithium-ion battery production emits between 61-106 kilos of carbon dioxide equivalents per kilowatt-hour battery capacity produced. That's why improving its recycling processes has been a high-priority goal for the firm alongside other goals such as improving driver safety with its full self-driving software. In fact, Tesla co-founder and CTO JB Straubel quit the company in 2019 to found an EV battery recycling firm called Redwood Materials.