In the pursuit of a decarbonized transportation sector and a more sustainable future, Canada has invested billions in the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). These investments have sparked a national conversation on the “upstream” aspects, from environmental concerns over the mining of critical minerals to the economic opportunities of domestic EV battery manufacturing. However, the “downstream” impacts of this transition remain uncharted – namely, how to manage EV batteries at end-of-vehicle-life (EoVL).
The fast-evolving EV battery repurposing and recycling ecosystem holds immense potential for growth in Canada, promising environmental, economic, and energy security benefits. This report proposes nine achievable recommendations to ensure the safe and sustainable management of EV batteries at EoVL and maximize Canada’s return on investment in the EV transition.
Enabling Conditions and Building Capacity
1. Incentivize market conditions to support the battery repurposing and recycling sector in Canada
2. Encourage battery-makers to design for circularity
3. Accelerate Canadian research and development on battery repurposing and recycling technologies
Encouraging the Best Pathway for Batteries at End-of-Vehicle-Life
4. Implement a coordinated producer take-back approach to EoVL management of EV batteries
5. Ensure that state of health assessments are standardized and easily accessible to consumers and actors within the EV battery ecosystem
6. Establish an expert advisory group to co-develop guidelines to ensure proper pathways for EoVL batteries
7. Introduce a Battery Passport System
Ensuring Safe and Economical Dismantling, Storage, and Transportation
8. Develop and promote comprehensive and accessible training programs for the safe handling of EV batteries
9. Simplify transportation and storage regulations and harmonize with U.S. regulations
