Toronto, Ontario — Brenda Yu, a research intern for the Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC) has spent her summer gathering crucial information for Canada’s auto recycling industry.
The whitepaper—to be published in the Fall of 2020—will focus on the areas of electric vehicle battery recycling and the variety of reuse opportunities in the industry. According to the ARC, the goal of the whitepaper is to provide best practices and tips for the removal and recycling of EV batteries when they reach the end-of-life stage.
“There aren’t really any policies or processes in place for recyclers if an EV ends up in their facility. There are a lot of questions regarding how we can reuse batteries and how they can be safely disassemble the vehicles.” Yu told Collision Repair. “Our goal with the whitepaper is to figure out a way to perhaps combine the processes by OEMs, policymakers and everyone else that is—or should be—involved in the process and figure out the safest way to solve these challenges.”
Though the issue is widespread, Yu said she’s recognized a lack of connection in the industry. While many are aiming to develop more streamlined guides for EV batteries, Yu says few appear to be working together to achieve their respective goals.
“A lot of companies are still stuck in their respective bubbles,” said Yu. “Some will develop this big and beautiful ideas, but they’d only be achievable in a world without policies or safety standards. They’re great ideas, but there are often logistical issues.”
As for the upcoming whitepaper, Yu says key takeaways will be twofold.
“We’re looking at both reusing and repurposing efforts—which one is better, per se, which one will be safer from a recycling perspective. The goal is to give the industry access to a tool that can guide the industry toward best practices.
In the end, we may not find a solid solution for the entire industry to follow—but we will definitely have developed suggestions and a framework for the sector to continue working on the challenges.”
For more information on ARC, visit autorecyclers.ca
