- Greenpeace said 12.85 million tonnes of EV lithium-ion batteries will go offline worldwide between 2021 and 2030
- More than 10 million tonnes of lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese will be mined for new batteries
As per a report by Reuters, Greenpeace said that China needs to step up the recycling and repurposing of batteries for electric vehicles in order to ease supply strains and curb pollution and carbon emissions. The group said in a research report that though the deployment of electric vehicles is an important environmental initiative, the manufacturing of batteries is energy- and carbon-intensive and puts the supply of key raw materials like lithium and cobalt under severe strain.
Ada Kong, Greenpeace East Asia’s senior programme manager said that a we are about to witness a tidal wave of old EV batteries hit China. How the government responds will have huge ramifications for Xi Jinping’s 2060 carbon neutral commitment.
Backup power systems for China’s 5G stations
The report added that Greenpeace said 12.85 million tonnes of EV lithium-ion batteries will go offline worldwide between 2021 and 2030. More than 10 million tonnes of lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese will be mined for new batteries.
As per the report, repurposed batteries could be used as backup power systems for China’s 5G stations or reused in shared e-bikes, and would save 63 million tonnes of carbon emissions from new battery manufacturing as per Greenpeace. I.t said total global demand for energy storage could be met by old EV batteries by 2030
