Can Chinese Electric Vehicles Meet EU Batteries Regulation Targets? A Dynamic Approach to Assess the Potential for Recycled Materials Use in Chinese EV Batteries

The European Union (EU) has put forward a new regulatory framework for batteries through the EU Batteries Regulation (2023/1542), which sets a series of minimum thresholds of recycled materials for electric vehicle (EV) batteries sold on the EU market. Since the EU is the largest market for China’s...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ping Li, Yaoming Li, Yiyun Qiao, Jing Wang, Dongchang Zhao, Rujie Yu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:World Electric Vehicle Journal
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2032-6653/16/7/342
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Summary:The European Union (EU) has put forward a new regulatory framework for batteries through the EU Batteries Regulation (2023/1542), which sets a series of minimum thresholds of recycled materials for electric vehicle (EV) batteries sold on the EU market. Since the EU is the largest market for China’s EV export, compliance with the EU Batteries Regulation is a prerequisite for China’s EV export. To evaluate the feasibility of meeting these regulatory requirements, a future-oriented Chinese EV recycled materials use potential analysis model has been developed, forecasting the maximum proportion of recycled materials in China’s EV batteries from 2020 to 2035. To find out the risk factors, influencing aspects such as battery lifespan, demand, technology development, collection rate, and battery reshoring have been considered. The findings indicate that compared to other metals, the maximum proportion of recycled lithium is the lowest, forecast to be 21.2% in 2031, and increasing to 28.3% by 2035. Conversely, the maximum proportion of recycled graphite is the highest, at 28.9% in 2031 and reaching 41.3% in 2035. These results suggest that Chinese EV batteries could meet the targets set by the EU Batteries Regulation in most scenarios. Moreover, the analysis indicates that battery lifespan and collection rate constitute significant risk factors potentially influencing the recycled material content in Chinese EV batteries, which in turn impacts Chinese EV export to the EU. Finally, policy recommendations are proposed to enhance EV export and to bolster EV battery recycling industry development.
ISSN:2032-6653