As Green Car Reports notes today , recycling used electric vehicle batteries is a great idea as they often still have as much as 70 % of their energy capacity remaining once they are no longer suitable for use in a vehicle . However , there are many challenges to overcome before this is practically possible , most notably the need for standard protocols to be established for collecting , testing , and grading used batteries . Furthermore , once this problem has been resolved , there is still the issue of pricing , as at what price ( and in what condition ) would it make more economic sense for utilities to use used batteries over new ones that obviously still have their full life span ? Chevrolet Volt crosses 300,000 miles, March 2016 When you consider how much lithium - ion cells are dropping in price , ( roughly 7 % per year ) a relatively large discount would probably be required to tempt anyone to use a used battery pack with a shorter life span . In fact , according to Green Car Reports , some utility executives have already suggested that it simply would not be worth the uncertainty and effort for their utilities to source used batteries , suggesting it might require third parties to assemble used packs and resell them with a warranty on future performance .
As Green Car Reports notes today , recycling used electric vehicle batteries is a great idea as they often still have as much as 70 % of their energy capacity remaining once they are no longer suitable for use in a vehicle . However , there are many challenges to overcome before this is practically possible , most notably the need for standard protocols to be established for collecting , testing , and grading used batteries . Furthermore , once this problem has been resolved , there is still the issue of pricing , as at what price ( and in what condition ) would it make more economic sense for utilities to use used batteries over new ones that obviously still have their full life span ? When you consider how much lithium - ion cells are dropping in price , ( roughly 7 % per year ) a relatively large discount would probably be required to tempt anyone to use a used battery pack with a shorter life span . In fact , according to Green Car Reports , some utility executives have already suggested that it simply would not be worth the uncertainty and effort for their utilities to source used batteries , suggesting it might require third parties to assemble used packs and resell them with a warranty on future performance .