China faces first major EV battery retirement wave amid recycling concerns
New Delhi, Aug 1
China is entering its first major wave of electric‑vehicle battery retirements, a new report has said, pointing to instances of the country's failures to safely recycle millions of tonnes of used lithium‑ion cells.
China reported 4 lakh metric tonnes of EV battery waste last year, the report from the US-based publication Inside Climate News said -- citing a joint China‑US study -- adding that the figure could rise to 1.69 million tonnes by 2030 and 22.39 million tonnes by 2040.
Annual sales of battery‑powered vehicles in China had skyrocketed from nearly 1 million in 2018 to over 16 million in 2025, and with EV batteries typically lasting about eight years, the country is facing its first major wave of battery retirements.
The number of batteries requiring disposal or reprocessing is expected to grow rapidly in the years ahead, which poses a major waste-management and recycling challenge for the nation.
China began building a formal recycling system in 2018 and by 2023 had placed more than 150 companies on a government "white list", which collectively had certified a combined annual processing capacity of 6,23,000 tonnes.
The capacity was over 1.5 times the volume retired that year, but certified recyclers handled only about 25% of retired batteries, leaving a large share to informal operators, the report alleged.
An investigation published earlier in 2026 by Yicai, a Chinese financial news outlet, mentioned its reporters trying to contact every company on the white list, finally realising that 100 were no longer operating or could not be reached, the media house said.
China's used-battery supply largely flows through uncertified recyclers, creating serious environmental and safety risks linked to contamination and improper disposal.
"In a case announced in Jiangxi Province in 2024, an uncertified company was found to have improperly dismantled 364 metric tons of waste lithium iron phosphate batteries. The resulting contamination caused vegetation to die across six acres of forest and killed more than 420 cubic feet of standing timber," the report said.
— IANS
Reader Comments
The fact that 100 out of 150 white-listed companies are no longer operational is alarming. If a country with China's manufacturing capacity struggles with this, what hope do we have? Our government needs to mandate producer responsibility from day one — not just lip service. Every EV sold should have a clear battery take-back plan.
This is what happens when you rush to adopt EVs without a circular economy plan. The informal recyclers in China are basically the same as our kabadiwalas but with toxic materials. We need strict registration, tracking systems, and heavy penalties for illegal dumping. Otherwise we'll be importing these problems too.
The Jiangxi case with dead vegetation and timber is heartbreaking. Imagine that happening in our Western Ghats or near the Ganga. We absolutely cannot let lithium-ion batteries end up in informal scrap yards. Need dedicated hazardous waste facilities in every state, and quickly. This is an environmental disaster waiting to happen if we don't act.
Honestly, this is a wake-up call for India. We're building gigafactories and launching FAME subsidies, but who's thinking about the end-of-life? The government should set up a dedicated EV battery recycling mission, like they did with the National Solar Mission. We have the opportunity to skip China's mistakes and build a green recycling industry from scratch.
It's easy to point fingers at China, but the reality is the entire global EV industry is built on lithium-ion without a sustainable end-of-life plan. India, US, Europe — we all need to collaborate on battery recycling technology. If China fails, the cost of raw materials will climb and hurt everyone's EV transition
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