Retired EV Batteries Can Play a Vital Role in Making Clean Energy More Affordable and Accessible

Most electric vehicle (EV) batteries are retired with as much as 70% to 80% of their original capacity remaining. They still work, but their performance no longer matches automotive requirements that demand full charging capacity for long-range driving.

Over time, factors like repeated charging cycles, heat exposure and chemical aging gradually reduce a battery’s ability to hold and deliver energy efficiently. Yet even at 70% capacity, retired EV batteries can serve a “second-life,” providing other kinds of electric storage needs, such as powering homes, businesses or even smaller vehicles.

Finding second-life options is critical because by 2035, the supply of retired EV batteries is poised to surge, exceeding 300 gigawatt-hours globally — equivalent to roughly 4.6 million batteries that could be treated as waste. According to BloombergNEF, an energy research firm, at least half of the batteries will come from China alone. The remaining capacity in these retired batteries could power as many as 20,000 U.S. homes or 10 times that amount in India, for an entire year — a staggering amount of capacity.

Yet despite this potential, efforts to repurpose EV batteries remain fragmented, with no shared framework or clear safeguards to ensure their equitable and scalable deployment.

To move forward, we need to answer questions about not only whether these batteries will be repurposed, but also how, and who may benefit. With the right frameworks in place, second-life EV batteries could be a growing energy source and expand equitable access to affordable, clean and reliable power.