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.
But you need heavy mining operations for the batteries, and most likely you'll charge them with a power supply fed by a coal plant. So as of right now i just don't see it. I think electric cars are a cool idea if it saves money but regardless nothing ever beats the sound of a nice v8. Its too bad the next generation will likely have to rely on the dealer for repairs entirely because cars are becoming a fucking computer.
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