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Journal of Automotive Safety and Energy ›› 2025, Vol. 16 ›› Issue (1): 86-96.DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-8484.2025.01.009

• Automotive Energy Efficiency and Environment Protection • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Economic analysis of recycling retired power batteries

DU Shilong1,2(), HAO Han1,2,*()   

  1. 1. School of Vehicle and Mobility, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
    2. Tsinghua-Rio Tinto Joint Research Center for Resources Energy and Sustainable Development, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
  • Received:2024-04-04 Revised:2024-06-08 Online:2025-02-28 Published:2025-03-04

Abstract:

Recycling power batteries from electric vehicles is an important means of resource regeneration and pollution prevention. This paper constructed a techno-economic model and proposed the concept of “ideal discount coefficient” to evaluate the shock resistance of the recycling pricing system. 10 key components of recycling costs were quantified based on the recycling process of retired power batteries. The cost and benefits of hydrometallurgical recycling of lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide (NCM) batteries and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries were quantitatively analyzed to discuss the impact of market, policy, technology and other factors on the economic efficiency of recycling. The results show that at the baseline metal price level, the net profit of hydrometallurgical recycling of NCM 811 batteries is 3 493 CNY/t; The hydrometallurgical recycling of LFP batteries is not profitable, unless there is a rise in lithium prices. Therefore, incorporating lithium into base metals for recycling pricing can mitigate the sensitivity of the recycling discount coefficient to fluctuations in key battery raw material prices.

Key words: electric vehicle, lithium-ion battery, battery recycling, lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide (NCM) battery, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, technical economy

CLC Number: