What happens to the batteries?
The increasing number of electric cars on our roads translates to more and more of their batteries being disposed of.
ARN collects both lithium-ion starter batteries and drive batteries. In this careful process, key roles are assigned to safe dismantling, storage, and transport.
Batteries that are still in good condition can get a second life through a specialized company. Other batteries go to a recycling company, which recovers the valuable raw materials.
Car manufacturers
Car manufacturers and importers are required to take back “end-of-life” batteries, but they can delegate this responsibility by participating in the ARN Management Plan.
ARN thus fulfills the producer responsibility for nearly all Dutch car importers and reports annually to the government on the number of collected batteries and the recycling performance.
The legal recycling requirement of at least 50% of the weight of lithium-ion batteries is more than adequately met.
Battery dismantling and recycling
Battery recycling: how does it work?
Giving batteries a second lease of life
ARN collaborates with partners that have an end-of-waste judgment and can give lithium-ion batteries a new life: EcarACCU and Time Shift energy storage. These are specialized companies that accept the batteries as waste.
They take on the producer responsibility from the car manufacturer. The discarded batteries are not returned to the auto industry but are repurposed for other applications such as solar energy storage.
Reuse of batteries also provides a good solution for power supply in remote areas.
Battery processing
Battery processing is complex. Materials in the battery are separated by methods that include mechanical separation, shredding or hydrometallurgy.
In the Netherlands, there are no end processors for batteries yet; the discarded batteries are processed in Germany, Belgium, or France.
Starter batteries
Starter batteries, such as lead batteries, are also covered by the ARN Management Plan. They have a positive residual value and their raw materials can be recycled, which is driven by market requirements. For starter batteries, there is mandatory requirement for 65%, by weight, to be recycled. This percentage is easily being exceeded.
The registration of batteries
All drive batteries and starter batteries are registered through the ARN system. Registration of batteries is done via the portal Mijn Batterij Opgave.
Battery collection at dealerships
To responsibly collect batteries for recycling, dealers can use the services of Stibat and ARN. To make it easier for them, we have created an informational brochure.
It contains information about the collection of different batteries and how a company can properly organize this.