Soon, a wave of used batteries will arrive – are we prepared?
Norway is a world leader in electric vehicles. But are we prepared for the large volume of used electric vehicle batteries that will emerge—and that must be dealt with sooner or later?
13.11.2026 15:48 | Updated 15:56
What actually happens to the battery when an electric vehicle has traveled its last mile? Who is responsible, and is Norway prepared as the number of used electric vehicle batteries starts to rise significantly?
These were among the questions raised when the Electric Vehicle Association, Hydrovolt, and the Transport Economics Institute (TØI) brought together the automotive industry, recycling companies, bureaucrats, and politicians for a seminar on battery recycling.
Researcher Gøril Andreassen from TØI began by pointing out that electric vehicle batteries have proven to last much longer than initially expected when the first electric vehicles appeared.
Thus, the large quantity of used batteries has also had to wait its turn. But it’s coming.
Where do the batteries end up?
Of the used electric vehicle batteries tracked in 2024, 39 percent were resold and 36 percent sent for material recycling. 14 percent were stored, while 11 percent were unreported.
The proportion of batteries that are stored or not yet prepared caused some concern among the researcher.
But she also pointed out other challenges. For example, responsibility for transporting damaged batteries from vehicles involved in insurance claims remains unclear.
Over the past year, Autoretur Battery Recycling (ABR), which enforces the manufacturer’s responsibility in Norway, has carried out cleanup campaigns for batteries left at car recyclers.
Work is also underway on a fixed compensation scheme to cover the costs for car recyclers involved in removing batteries.
The director of the Association of Car Importers (BIL) stated that the goal is to implement the compensation scheme in the first quarter of 2027.
New EU regulation and battery passport to ensure better oversight
The EU’s so-called battery regulation, which also applies to Norway, will impose much stricter requirements on batteries throughout their entire lifecycle, from production to reuse and recycling.
An important development is the so-called battery passport, which will be required in all new electric vehicles sold in Europe starting from February next year.
The battery passport follows the vehicle/battery pack in the form of a QR code on the battery.
This will lead to a digital document that must contain traceable information about the entire supply chain, including details such as the battery’s chemistry, weight, and capacity.
For vehicle recyclers and the recycling industry, this can make a significant difference by saving them a lot of time and effort.
Lack of information
Battery recycling company Hydrovolt pointed out that one of the challenges today is precisely the great variety of batteries they receive and the lack of information about them.
Improved information, which the battery passport will provide, will make handling batteries faster and cheaper, as well as safer.
At the same time, manufacturer responsibility will play a central role. In Norway, car importers are subject to this responsibility, and the Association of Car Importers has established the company Autoretur Battery Recycling (ABR) specifically to organize the collection and processing of batteries.
To date, ABR has recycling agreements with Hydrovolt and their recycling facility in Fredrikstad, as well as with Stena Recycling, but several more Norwegian companies may join in the coming years.
Dealing with much larger quantities
For now, the number of batteries being returned is relatively low.
But this will change as today’s large fleet of electric vehicles ages. This means that current handling procedures need to be optimized.
Hydrovolt stated during the seminar that over a ten-year period, the volume could amount to around 150,000 batteries per year.
Ole Christen Enger, head of Hydrovolt, added that we have 3-5 years to prepare so we can handle the volume that will arrive after 2030.
“There are still relatively few electric vehicle batteries coming to us, and we spend a lot of time per battery. In ten years, we’ll have 150,000 per year, and things will need to move faster by then,” concluded Enger.
Political debate on the state’s role
Two parts of the seminar featured a small panel of politicians consisting of two representatives from each side regarding electric vehicle policy and climate policy, along with Christina Bu, general secretary of the Electric Vehicle Association.
The latter pointed out that Norway and Europe are highly dependent on China for batteries, even though we have both mineral and processing industries in the country.
We in Norway therefore believe we must strive to become more independent, and that now is an excellent opportunity to establish a solid recycling industry for electric vehicle batteries in our country.
Thus the tone was set, as Stig Even Lillestøl of the Progress Party held a slightly different view on government intervention, potential support measures, and policy guidance for businesses compared to his opponent, Margit Bye from the Green Party.
Before we knew it, the debate covered everything from geopolitics, human rights in China, and Chinese work culture to Norway’s sick pay regulations, bureaucracy, and our ability to adapt quickly.
We were even discussing the classic debate about whether Norway is best served by staying within or outside the EU when the battery seminar finally got off the ground, with communications chief Unni Berge from the Electric Vehicle Association concluding that enough was enough.
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