I heard that the batteries in hybrid cars aren't recyclable, is this true?

Question

I also heard that you have to replace them often. Are these statements true? How is that better for our planet if it is true? Why would they make them that way with "green" on the mind?

Answer 1

It isn't but they last a very long time. If they were recyclable the whole world would be using them since, they would be the perfect energy that doesn't give any pollution.

Answer 2

Anything is recyclable... if you want to put forth the effort.

The question is :

Can it be recycled economically?

All batteries are recyclable, but you have problems dealing with a toxic metal and toxic/acidic fumes.  

During use the metals in the batteries combine with the acids.  

In old style lead-acid car batteries if you cut a new one in half you have these neat metal plates spaced with something that looks sort of like heavy card stock.  

After a few years use cut the battery open and you have buckled white stuff and the separators are eaten away.  

The white stuff is from the lead combining with the sulfur in the battery acid.  Each charge and discharge makes some of the white stuff out of some of the lead in the battery.

To get the sulfur out of the lead again you have to dry it and melt the lead.. the sulfur will burn away.. and with the correct equipment you can recover it and make "fresh" sulfuric acid.

But the equipment is expensive. and the process is potentially dangerous.

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Nickle-Cadmium batteries... the cadmium is more toxic and more valuable than lead.  I forgot which acid is in the gelled electrolyte... but its not a "fun" one to play with.

More modern battery chemistries get even more toxic to deal with when recycling...

Answer 3

Whether it is true or not, think of the amount of engine oil changes you save, the tonnes of CO2 you dont produce, and the reduction in pollution from efficient travel.

Compare this to a battery with a life of 30+ years which keeps the car on the road, and I say, who cares if you have to throw it out. Still I imagine like most things, you could recover the nickel, lithium etc through reclaiming processes. (hey its not nuclear waste is it)

Answer 4

No, it's not true.  Also, they are working on lithium ion batteries that will last for 10 years, and can be charged from Zero to 80% in 5 minutes.  ~

Answer 5

Most of todays car batteries are recycled even the bad Lead Acid ones. So eventually they are better off than Petrol/diesel.

Li-Ion promise to be completely non-toxic and long shelf life, we will see how they work.

Answer 6

They last a long time, for most people, as long as they would own the car.  And they are recycled.

"How long does the Prius battery last and what is the replacement cost?

The Prius battery (and the battery-power management system) has been designed to maximize battery life. In part this is done by keeping the battery at an optimum charge level - never fully draining it and never fully recharging it. As a result, the Prius battery leads a pretty easy life. We have lab data showing the equivalent of 180,000 miles with no deterioration and expect it to last the life of the vehicle. We also expect battery technology to continue to improve: the second-generation model battery is 15% smaller, 25% lighter, and has 35% more specific power than the first. This is true of price as well. Between the 2003 and 2004 models, service battery costs came down 36% and we expect them to continue to drop so that by the time replacements may be needed it won't be a much of an issue. Since the car went on sale in 2000, Toyota has not replaced a single battery for wear and tear.

Is there a recycling plan in place for nickel-metal hydride batteries?

Toyota has a comprehensive battery recycling program in place and has been recycling nickel-metal hydride batteries since the RAV4 Electric Vehicle was introduced in 1998. Every part of the battery, from the precious metals to the plastic, plates, steel case and the wiring, is recycled. To ensure that batteries come back to Toyota, each battery has a phone number on it to call for recycling information and dealers are paid a $200 "bounty" for each battery."

Answer 7

Have 18 to 24 mos and some of the electrical companies are buying them.  useing them to store extra juice that can be made in some of the high rises.

Answer 8

Those statements are false. EV and hybrid batteries last longer and are even more recyclable than car batteries, which are ALREADY recycled nearly 100% because of the value of the lead in the batteries.  Don't take my word on it, go down to your local auto parts store and asks what happens to batteries.  

Know that present-day car batteries are junk, despite their marketing.  Lead+acid is a lousy and toxic chemistry especially if you care about weight.  The batteries fail after 3-6 years.  The electrolyte is vulnerable to freezing when discharged.  The only upside is they're CHEAP and adequate to start a car engine.

You should expect much, much more from real batteries!