Dead EV battery doesn't mark end of its utility, UN official tells PTI

While safety is the primary challenge for second-life LFP (Lithium Ferro Phosphate) batteries because of the risk of thermal runaway, required diagnostic checks, proper screening and monitoring can extend their life by seven to ten years while reducing environmental risk, a United Nations (UN) official said.

In an interview with PTI Videos, Katrin Luger, chief of Transport Research and Policy Section at United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), said grid-scale battery storage is the fastest way to support power grid integration, and explained that reused batteries can reduce peak demand and balance power supply by providing electricity during high-demand hours, helping keep the grid stable.

She added that battery storage systems using second-life batteries work well in community microgrids. These systems can cut energy storage costs by 20 to 30 per cent compared to new batteries, making reliable and affordable power more accessible for marginalised and underserved communities.

LFP batteries are rapidly dominating India's EV and solar storage markets already due to their safety (thermal stability) and affordability, but makes it economically difficult to recycle for profit.

Speaking about the practical approaches that India can prioritise to scale up second-life reuse of LFP batteries, the UN official noted that technical solutions, including better pricing, standard diagnostic and safety rules, and direct recycling are important.

Direct recycling keeps the LFP battery material intact, uses far less energy than current methods and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90 per cent, which makes LFP recycling economically viable despite its lower material value, according to Luger.

"Policy changes are also important. The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system should use different prices for different battery types, because flat rates disadvantage LFP batteries compared to higher-value ones. Battery passports can help track batteries throughout their life," the UN ESCAP official told PTI.

Organising the informal sector, which handles over 95 per cent of battery waste, is necessary for safe and legal collection, she said, adding that financial incentives such as deposit-refund schemes (DRS) and viability gap funding (VGF) can reduce costs, lower investment risk and support large-scale second-life use and recycling.

The EPR guidelines for LFP batteries in India are governed by the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022, requiring producers to register with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), meet mandatory collection/recycling targets and ensure environmentally sound disposal.

The regulations apply to all battery types, including portable, electric vehicle (EV) and industrial, mandating material recovery, tracking via an online portal and eventually, using recycled materials in new batteries.

Under India's existing EPR framework, gaps in enforcement were flagged in other waste streams by think tanks earlier. In 2024, a report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) flagged shortcomings in the implementation of plastic EPR rules, with the CPCB and state pollution control boards identifying about 7,00,000 recycling certificates that did not correspond to verified processing capacity.

While the trend for LFP batteries is shifting toward recycling rather than disposal, many batteries in India still end up in landfills when they die, as they do not contain high-value metals like cobalt or nickel, and recyclers have limited economic incentive to process them.

When asked about the environmental harms associated with poorly discarded LFP batteries in landfill sites, the UN ESCAP official said that toxic gas, smoke and dead water are the primary pathways through which these poorly discarded batteries harm the environment and human health.

"In landfills, moisture can break down the electrolyte salt in batteries, releasing hydrogen fluoride (HF), a toxic gas that harms the human respiratory system and can contaminate soil. Improper disposal also lets phosphate and iron leak into water, causing algal blooms, low-oxygen 'dead zones' and damage to aquatic life," Katrin Luger told PTI.

Luger further highlighted that mechanical damage or fires involving LFP batteries release dense toxic smoke clouds containing halogenated acids, volatile organic compounds and fine particulates, which are strongly associated with respiratory and other airborne diseases, posing acute risks to waste workers and nearby communities.

"Rapid adoption of LFP batteries in electric vehicles and stationary storage is generating a surge of waste. Between 2022 and 2030, an estimated 5,00,000 tonnes of LFP batteries are expected to enter the recycling market annually." Discussing how India could use policy tools to avoid a battery waste crisis when recycling incentives are low, the UN official noted that strict enforcement of EPR is the most effective way to prevent this crisis.

"These rules make producers responsible for managing batteries at the end of their life, instead of consumers or local authorities. It legally binds them to act even when market incentives for Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIBs) are weak," she said.

"To keep recycling viable when scrap values are low, India can also require new batteries to contain at least 20 per cent recycled materials by 2030, creating a steady domestic market for recovered minerals like lithium and cobalt. This ensures stable income for recyclers and prevents risky disposal, especially for battery types with low resale value."

According to Luger, a Deposit Refund Scheme (DRS) can also give consumers a financial reason to return spent batteries by charging an upfront deposit that is refunded only when the battery is returned to an authorised centre.

The UN's ESCAP Transport Division supports member States in the transition to electric mobility under the umbrella of the Asia-Pacific Initiative on Electric Mobility (APIEM), promoting regional policy alignment, knowledge exchange, and capacity building among member states.

Published on February 10, 2026