EV Automobile Recycling Systems

The challenge is enormous

Nissan has recently begun testing a cost-effective way of recovering rare-earth metals from used electric automobiles. The company has been working since 2017 in collaboration with Tokyo's Waseda University to develop this innovative recycling process.

To recover rare-earth metals, the process involves heating an old motor to 1,400 degrees Celcius. Once the car is melted down, the company adds an iron oxide that oxidizes the rare-earth metals. To follow comes borate-based flux, which causes the liquid to separate into two layers - the rare-earth metals and the remaining liquid.

Nissan believes this process can recover up to 98 percent of a vehicle's rare-earth metals. The entire process takes half the amount of time it does to manually disassemble a motor - which makes this new recycling process speedy and cost-efficient. The company hopes this system will be up and running in the next few years.

Image Credit: Nissan