A major new UK study has highlighted the growing problem of lithium-ion battery waste and urged technological solutions to address the issue.

Recycling technologies for end-of-life lithium ion batteries are not keeping pace with the rapid rise of electric vehicles, according to a new study.

Electric Vehicle drive train recycling Gavin Harper (Energy Development Manager) Will we need to recycle electric cars? Can they be recycled? And who’s going to do it? As we move toward a transport system aligned to electric vehicles the challenges of how to deal with the eventual recycling seem a long way off but the decisions we make now will have a significant impact on future generations.

Current lithium prices are a major stumbling block for the future of lithium-ion in grid-scale storage. The lithium-ion battery has played an integral role in powering the modern-day world – but questions remain about its environmental impact.

Man asks if you want PC on your motorbike

GAVIN HARPER, who we met last year has written a book called 50 Awesome Auto Projects which has now been published by McGraw Hill.

“Electric cars: what will happen to all the dead batteries?”, published by In2life.gr on 31 August 2026, carries comments Gavin originally gave to the BBC.

“Flagship paper: Recycling lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles”, an article published by The Faraday Institution on 5 August 2026, covers research Gavin co-authored.

Gavin is quoted in “Delivering the vision for UK critical minerals supply”, an article by Melanie Rutherford published by IOM3 on 19 June 2026.

“Oil tankers and rare earths: how China has its grip on the nerve centre of the world economy”, published by Al Jazeera Net on 21 May 2026, carries comments Gavin originally gave to the South China Morning Post.

Asia Times republished Gavin's article for The Conversation, “The Iran war has depleted supplies of tungsten, a critical mineral for the world's militaries” on 30 April 2026.

Yahoo News UK republished Gavin's article for The Conversation, “The Iran war has depleted supplies of tungsten, a critical mineral for the world's militaries” on 29 April 2026.

RTBF republished Gavin's article for The Conversation, “Electric vehicles pass tipping point, breaking the link with oil prices” on 24 April 2026.

ÉcoRéseau Business republished Gavin's article for The Conversation, “Electric vehicles pass tipping point, breaking the link with oil prices” on 21 April 2026.