How Nissan Recycles Depleted EV Batteries and Rescues Them to Power Japan

The automotive industry’s rapidly evolving to an all-electric era, driven by the quest for a sustainable, zero-emission future.

With the technology currently available, several EV components have a limited lifespan, and the most important of them is the battery pack. This essential component comprises several modules filled with lithium-ion cells that store electric energy and deliver it to the drivetrain.

During their lifespan, these packs go through countless charge and discharge cycles that eventually diminish the amount of charge the pack can hold.

The currently predicted lifespan of an EV battery pack is between 10 and 20 years, depending on its construction and several environmental factors.

Since these vehicles' whole purpose is to provide an environmentally friendly alternative to their ICE-powered siblings, Nissan has been working on solutions to recycle EV batteries even before it officially launched the Leaf, the company’s first mass-produced all-electric vehicle, in 2010.

Several months before the Leaf’s release, Nissan partnered with Sumitomo Corporation to set up 4R Energy Corp. with the purpose of developing the necessary infrastructure and technology to refabricate, recycle, resell, and reuse the batteries of future Nissan EVs.

Simply scrapping old batteries was never an option as the newly founded company’s main goal is to give these components a second life by using them to power other things, as current 4R Energy CEO Eiji Makino explains.

"We knew that when it came to an EV, the recycling solution had to be much cleverer than the norm and have distinct benefits for EV owners. Simply recycling an old car for scrap metal wouldn't be good enough."

Developing the right technologies and concepts took some time but fortunately, as we explained previously, EV batteries have an average lifespan of more than a decade. Thus, the company is now fully operational and ready to give depleted Leaf packs a new life.

When one of these packs is delivered to 4R Energy, it’s initially analyzed and graded. Those that feature components as good as new are given an A grade and can be used in new EV battery packs.

When they receive a B grade, the components are deemed powerful enough for industrial machinery and large stationary energy storage units, like those that can store electricity captured during the daytime by solar panels and then use it to power the building during the night.

The lowest grade depleted battery components get is C, but even those that get this grade are used in various forms like backup power units that supply power when the conventional electric grid fails. One example is the units found in grocery stores that power refrigerators and emergency lightning during an outage.

4R Energy engineers estimate that the recovered batteries have a life span of about 10 to 15 years, significantly extending their usability and reducing their overall carbon footprint.

Creating a demand for depleted EV batteries also helps bring down the total cost of ownership for an EV since owners can now recycle them for a higher value compared to scrapping them.

The company’s focus on reusing them to generate power is best showcased by the innovative battery management system found on Koshikishima, a man-made island off the coast of southwestern Japan.

It is home to the world's first large-scale energy storage system that harnesses wind and solar energy to power the charging network that supports a fleet of all-electric vehicles. This facility uses 16 refurbished lithium-ion EV batteries to cope with energy fluctuations and store its energy output.

Ten years after the release of the Leaf, its depleted battery packs are already being given a second life and we hope that other major carmakers will follow Nissan’s example in the following years.