How to Dispose of Electric Car Batteries

Electric cars are on the rise and while they are still quite expensive to purchase, the manufacturers are continually working hard to bring down the cost. The batteries inside the electric cars are made from lithium ion and are recharged between uses. The batteries typically are expected to perform well for the first 100,000 miles. If your battery dies and your warranty has expired, have the dealer or a mechanic who has experience with electric cars make sure that it is in fact the battery that is dead and not some other malfunction.

Instructions

1. Dispose of an electric car battery at your local recycling center since many parts of the battery can be recycled. Call first to check if they accept electric car batteries.

2. Dispose of your electric car battery in your regular trash if desired. As of 2010, the federal government does not consider lithium ion car batteries as hazardous waste.

3. Take the battery to a dealer of the same car manufacturer in which the battery was installed. Electric car manufacturers like Toyota, Nissan, Tesla and Honda all recycle electric car batteries. They may even pay you to have it recycled.

References

• Tesla Motors: FAQs
• Wall Street Journal: Nissan to Begin Recycling Electric-Car Batteries