Treatment of electric vehicle battery waste in China: A review of existing policies

• Main Authors: Wenbo Li, Muyi Yang, Ruyin Long, Kristy Mamaril, Yuanying Chi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Vilnius Gediminas Technical University 2021-05-01
• Series: Journal of Environmental Engineering and Landscape Management
• Subjects: electric vehicles; extended producer responsibility; waste battery treatment; reuse; recycling; policy
• Online Access: https://www.jbem.vgtu.lt/index.php/JEELM/article/view/14220

This paper reviews existing policies for supporting the treatment of electric vehicle (EV) battery waste in China, and identifies some of their major shortcomings that policy makers may like to consider while making policy decisions. The shortcomings of existing policies identified in this paper include: 1) no clear provisions for historical and orphan batteries; 2) no target for battery collection; 3) unclear definition of the scope of authority among various central and local agencies involved in the regulation of waste battery treatment; 4) unclear requirements for data auditing and verification for tracking the entire life cycle of EV batteries; 5) limited consideration of the challenges to ensure stakeholder cooperation; and 6) no explicit specification of the mechanisms for financing waste battery treatment. This paper also makes some practical policy suggestions for overcoming these shortcomings.