400,000 Tons of Spent Batteries Poured Out as Chinese EVs Surge… Recycling Hits ‘Limit’

China, the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) market, is facing a crisis where it is struggling to cope with the surge in EV waste.

According to an analysis by Planetizen and Insight Climate News, China processed over 400,000 tons of spent batteries from EVs last year alone, and this volume is projected to swell to over 22 million tons by 2040.

Environmental analyst Derek Harrison stated that automakers must be assigned responsibility for recalls and that crackdowns on unlicensed firms should be strengthened. He advocated for institutional improvements to provide tangible incentives to formally certified companies.