Electric carmakers ‘breaking the law’ by failing to collect scrapped batteries

Firefighters extinguish a blaze caused by a fault in an electric vehicle at a salvage yard in Rochford in March

Electric carmakers are breaking the law by allowing batteries from scrapped vehicles to pile up in scrapyards, a senior industry figure has claimed.

Damaged electric vehicle (EV) batteries pose a fire risk as lithium releases energy rapidly, creating temperatures of up to 400C.

Manufacturers are legally obliged to take back these dangerous batteries from scrapped cars, but giants including BMW, Citroen, Honda and Mercedes-Benz have been accused of failing to collect them from scrapyards.

With Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, having ordered that 22 per cent of all new cars sold this year must be EVs, scrapyard operators warn that the growing problem of scrap batteries cannot be ignored.

Chas Ambrose, secretary of the Vehicle Recyclers’ Association (VRA), said: “Legally, carmakers have to take back batteries from hybrid cars and EVs that are being scrapped.

“Instead, we’re finding some manufacturers and dealerships are still not prepared or willing to engage.

“In some cases, it can take months or even years to get potentially dangerous batteries collected.

“Hybrids and EVs are now commonplace in our members’ premises, but the risks are still often being ignored. It’s very frustrating.”

Used lithium ion batteries are thought to be responsible for 25 per cent of scrapyard fires, according to Autocar

Car recyclers must deal with batteries from crash-damaged cars and EV power units that have simply worn out from normal use.

EV batteries are usually guaranteed by carmakers for 100,000 miles or eight years, whichever comes first.

Typical petrol cars last for around 200,000 miles over 14 years.

Batteries in EVs can lose up to 12 per cent of their charge after six years, according to data company Geotab, shaving nearly 30 miles off the typical EV range of 236 miles.

Under the Waste Batteries and Accumulator Regulations 2009, companies that do not collect discarded batteries risk an unlimited fine, although there is little evidence of prosecutions having taken place.

A mail order business was fined £45,000 after being prosecuted by the Environment Agency in 2015 for failing to pay for collections of unwanted industrial batteries.

Car manufacturers delegate the process of collecting scrap batteries to local car dealerships, Mr Ambrose said. But in VRA members’ experience, many dealers have no idea what to do and refuse to engage, he claimed.

Calls from the scrap car industry to make car manufacturers face up to their responsibilities have so far gone unheeded, Mr Ambrose added.

“While we understand that it is still relatively early days, we highlighted the problem years ago,” he said. “Volumes are now rapidly ramping up, especially with high proportions of damaged EVs apparently being written off due to concerns about battery repair or liability issues.”

Last year Thatcham Research, an automotive risk firm, said around 9,400 vehicles were potentially involved in collisions, resulting in batteries needing repair during 2022 – a figure that could be as high as 260,000 EVs by 2035.

Adrian Watson, of Thatcham Research, said at the time: “I’ve seen salvage plants with quarantining compounds. Any EV goes straight in there and sits there for a week before they do anything with it.”

Thatcham’s research also revealed that insurers would need to spend an extra £900 million a year on quarantine facilities for damaged EV batteries.

Government guidelines say crash-damaged EVs must be kept at least 15 metres away from other vehicles because of the risks from a battery fire.

Quarter of scrapyard fires caused by EV batteries

Used lithium ion batteries are thought to be responsible for 25 per cent of scrapyard fires, according to Autocar.

EV fires are harder to extinguish than those caused by petrol or diesel, creating toxic chemicals in the air and in water which may be used to tackle them.

They can also reignite days or even weeks after being put out initially.

The growing extent of the problem has prompted Essex Fire and Rescue Service to introduce extra training for its staff on how to deal with EV fires.

Terry Maher, a station manager, told the BBC that putting out an EV fire could take at least five hours, compared to the usual half hour needed to tackle a blaze from a petrol or diesel car.

“As more and more people use electric vehicles we can expect more and more electric vehicle fires,” he said.

The service said a fire at a Rochford salvage yard in March that spread to eight cars was caused by a fault in an EV.

EV batteries are typically guaranteed to last for eight years but concern is growing about how to safely dispose of them once the cars they are installed in reach the end of their service lives.

Fastest-growing fire risk in London

The London Fire Brigade has warned that fires involving lithium batteries are the fastest-growing fire risk in London after it was called out to 87 e-bike and 29 e-scooter fires in 2022.

Stellantis, the company that owns Citroen, Fiat, Chrysler and other major car brands, said: “As a manufacturer of electric vehicle batteries, under the Waste Batteries and Accumulator Regulations 2009 Stellantis is responsible for taking back these EV batteries free of charge.

“This process is managed by our retailer network and details can be found on our website.”

A spokesman for Mercedes-Benz UK said it “fully complies” with the regulations and also publishes details of its battery takeback scheme online.

Honda declined to comment, while BMW did not respond to a request for comment.

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it plans to run a public consultation on rules around collection and disposal of waste batteries later this year.

A spokesman for the department confirmed that producers of industrial batteries must take them back free of charge, upon request, under legal regulations.

The Office of Product Safety and Standards is the regulator for waste industrial batteries and investigates reported instances of failure to take back electric vehicle batteries, Defra added.

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