Longer-lasting batteries delay recycling at Norway's Hydrovolt

Electric car batteries are lasting longer than expected, which is causing delays at the Norwegian recycling company, Hydrovolt. This company, part of Norsk Hydro ASA, opened a new production line last year to recycle batteries. They aim to handle 12,000 metric tons, roughly from 25,000 electric vehicles each year. However, they expect to only process about a third of this amount this year. Norway is a leader in electric vehicle sales. Last month, 95% of new cars sold were battery-powered. With more than one-in-four cars on the road being electric, Norway is growing its industry to manage the recycling of these vehicles. The CEO of Hydrovolt, Ole-Christen Enger, explained that the lifetime of batteries is usually longer than expected, delaying their arrival for recycling. In Norway, the average car lasts about 18 years. The number of electric vehicles scrapped in Norway increased significantly, growing by 50% to 3,662 from 2023 to 2024. Last year, battery models made up 4.4% of all passenger cars sent for recycling. Hydrovolt started manually taking apart batteries in 2022. This experience helped them improve their semi-automated recycling line. Batteries processed by Hydrovolt come from various sources, including scrap yards and product recalls. They can have different shapes and sizes. The recycling process begins by draining the battery's electricity. If a battery overheats, it will be quickly removed from the facility. Many batteries arrive with up to 50% charge, which Hydrovolt can store or sell to the grid. After removing the casing and glue, the batteries are crushed, producing materials like aluminum and copper. Hydrovolt aims to send these materials to customers in OECD countries, as shipping waste batteries across borders is complicated. Hydrovolt announced plans for a new plant in France to dismantle and discharge batteries before sending them to Norway for further processing. Norsk Hydro originally created Hydrovolt as a joint venture with Northvolt AB in 2020, but now they own it fully after Northvolt filed for bankruptcy. Hydrovolt is looking for a new partnership to support its operations.