I always wondered what happens to all the batteries when they go bad or the car gets junked. That seems like a lot of hazardous waste.
Other than the occasional defect, EV batteries last a decade at a minimum. It's not like you're replacing the batteries every couple of years.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/lithiumion-battery-recycling-finally-takes-off-in-north-america-and-europe
When you have a few hundred million batteries going bad, its going to add up even if they last a long time. And then its not very profitable or safe to recycle them.
If it's not profitable then just bury them. The amount of toxics in a battery is dwarfed by the toxic chemical used in gasoline engines. Ten years of driving out of a couple hundred pounds of battery is better than ten years of driving burning 50,000 lbs of gasoline.
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