A study suggests China could eventually meet much of its electric-vehicle manufacturing demand for key materials through recycling retired vehicles and replacement batteries. This matters because it could reduce dependence on newly mined, finite resources, although the benefits will depend heavily on changing battery and motor technologies.

Researchers modelled Chinese supply and demand from 2010 to 2050 for battery materials including lithium, cobalt and nickel, and motor materials such as copper and rare-earth elements. They incorporated policies aiming to raise recycling rates for some battery materials from 40% to at least 98%, alongside a target for EVs to make up 60% of new sales by 2030. Recycling’s contribution generally rises as more EVs reach end of life, but cobalt supply could exceed demand as low-cobalt batteries spread, while growing nickel and manganese demand may limit recycling’s share.