Electric vehicles (EVs) are rapidly transforming the transportation landscape. In this context, circularity solutions, namely recycling and second-life applications, are central to addressing environmental impacts and securing access to valuable materials in electric vehicle batteries (EVBs). While the EU is at the forefront of regulatory action in this domain, with the 2023 Batteries Regulation as a cornerstone, further efforts are needed to develop viable circular supply chains and a domestic recycling market.
Consolidating lessons learnt from the 4-year BATRAW project, this report dives into the evolving landscape of battery circularity applications and draws lessons from their implementation. Based on a review of the landscape, it shows that both recycling and second-life use of EVBs remain at an early stage of development in the EU with some positive trends noted.
We identify three key enabling conditions for scaling up circularity applications for EVBs in the EU: (i) effective implementation of the EU policy framework underpinned by the Batteries Regulation; (ii) strengthened financial support for scaling up battery circularity applications; and (iii) further harmonisation of the standardisation landscape impacting EVB circularity.
This paper was prepared in the context of the BATRAW project, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101058359.
