With China Producing Half the World’s New Energy Vehicles, Retired Batteries May Bring ‘Explosive Pollution’

Workers at a factory for Xinwangda Electric Vehicle Battery Co. Ltd, which makes lithium batteries for electric cars and other uses, in Nanjing in China's eastern Jiangsu province. STR/AFP via Getty Images

As China’s new energy vehicle production grows rapidly, with half of global production now coming from China, the huge amount of retired batteries could bring “disastrous” environmental problems  and “explosive pollution,” says state-owned media Xinhua.

According to Xinhua, the cumulative retired batteries in China will had reached 200,000 tons (about 25 GWh) in 2020 and will grow to 780,000 tons (about 116 GWh) by 2025.