Most industry players are fixated on how fast we can build electric vehicles (EVs). But as great as this competition is, the auto industry is barreling toward a massive, hidden bottleneck: what happens when millions of these battery packs die? The influx of aging EVs is inevitable, which makes EV battery recycling a critical issue we are largely unprepared to handle - at least right now.

 

To understand the sheer scope of the impending issue, you have to look at the underlying chemistry powering these vehicles. The EV market is dominated by two primary battery types: nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP). NMC batteries offer noticeably higher energy density for premium, long-range vehicles, while LFP batteries are significantly cheaper and contain no cobalt or nickel. However, they offer slightly less range.