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Recycling of old cars is already pretty well developed. You drain the old fluids and strip any parts with secondary market value, then compact the whole thing a

by WJW 5y ago

Recycling of old cars is already pretty well developed. You drain the old fluids and strip any parts with secondary market value, then compact the whole thing and tip it whole into a steel melting furnace. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQHKUpwMboY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQHKUpwMboY

agumonkey 5y ago
yes but the rate of recycling may explode due to EVs (potentially)
- alex_young 5y ago
  Especially when one of the lithium packs winds up in the furnace.
  - WJW 5y ago
    Given the rate at which these electric arc furnaces convert electricity into heat already, I don't think that a few hundred gigajoule extra from a random battery pack is going to matter all that much.
    - kingsuper20 5y ago
      Also, I expect that an industry that deals with removing eleventy seven airbags to keep the children safe can handle main battery removal.
      - alisonkisk 5y ago
        Battery explosions are common in waste management facilities. It's a problem.
- pjc50 5y ago
  Unlikely due to secondary market value, unless there's another wave of "scrapping subsidy" schemes. More likely to be exported.
- reader_mode 5y ago
  That makes no sense - even the best case scenarios for EVs will take a decade to get to a significant % of market share - batteries and charging infrastructure isn't there to explode anything, AFAIK all EVs have waiting lists.
- toast0 5y ago
  This is from battery life concerns right? If the battery pack lasts around ten years and replacement costs more than the car, it'll get junked, etc. It seems like battery lifetime may be better than expected (except in arizona, especially if your battery doesn't have sufficient cooling). And there hasn't been a lot of reporting of this happening, I haven't seen many anecdotal reports either. Maybe, it's still too early. This is a big (underreported) factor in CNG vehicles though, a lot of their fuel tanks are expiring now, and for at least some vehicles, it's not economical to replace the tank, and at least PG&E requires a safety report before authorizing people to use their stations, so that makes a car junk simply because you can't fuel it.
  - agumonkey 5y ago
    Nope, not at all, I meant the old population of ICE that may rapidly end up in landfills if (if) people migrate to EVs en-masse.
    - toast0 5y ago
      Oh, I don't think that's likely, even if we assume EVs are unconditionally better than ICE for all users, unless ICE use is meaningfully restricted (either because of explicit restrictions from use within important areas, or because the fuel network shrinks and it becomes onerous to refuel), ICE cars in working condition will still have utility and resale value, even if it goes down and even if new sales are all EV.

by WJW 5y ago

agumonkey 5y ago

yes but the rate of recycling may explode due to EVs (potentially)

alex_young 5y ago
Especially when one of the lithium packs winds up in the furnace.
- WJW 5y ago
  Given the rate at which these electric arc furnaces convert electricity into heat already, I don't think that a few hundred gigajoule extra from a random battery pack is going to matter all that much.
  - kingsuper20 5y ago
    Also, I expect that an industry that deals with removing eleventy seven airbags to keep the children safe can handle main battery removal.
    - alisonkisk 5y ago
      Battery explosions are common in waste management facilities. It's a problem.
pjc50 5y ago
Unlikely due to secondary market value, unless there's another wave of "scrapping subsidy" schemes. More likely to be exported.
reader_mode 5y ago
That makes no sense - even the best case scenarios for EVs will take a decade to get to a significant % of market share - batteries and charging infrastructure isn't there to explode anything, AFAIK all EVs have waiting lists.
toast0 5y ago
This is from battery life concerns right? If the battery pack lasts around ten years and replacement costs more than the car, it'll get junked, etc. It seems like battery lifetime may be better than expected (except in arizona, especially if your battery doesn't have sufficient cooling). And there hasn't been a lot of reporting of this happening, I haven't seen many anecdotal reports either. Maybe, it's still too early. This is a big (underreported) factor in CNG vehicles though, a lot of their fuel tanks are expiring now, and for at least some vehicles, it's not economical to replace the tank, and at least PG&E requires a safety report before authorizing people to use their stations, so that makes a car junk simply because you can't fuel it.
- agumonkey 5y ago
  Nope, not at all, I meant the old population of ICE that may rapidly end up in landfills if (if) people migrate to EVs en-masse.
  - toast0 5y ago
    Oh, I don't think that's likely, even if we assume EVs are unconditionally better than ICE for all users, unless ICE use is meaningfully restricted (either because of explicit restrictions from use within important areas, or because the fuel network shrinks and it becomes onerous to refuel), ICE cars in working condition will still have utility and resale value, even if it goes down and even if new sales are all EV.