--- title: "Tesla Claims It Can Now Recycle 92 Percent of Raw Materials from Batteries" description: "In a recent report, Tesla claimed that it can reuse up to 92 percent of raw materials that go into its battery cells from recycled materials." date: "2021-08-11" modified: "2021-08-11" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-recycle-batteries" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "recycling" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Tesla Claims It Can Now Recycle 92 Percent of Raw Materials from Batteries ![In a recent report, Tesla claimed that it can reuse up to 92 percent of raw materials that go into its battery cells from recycled materials.]() *\Image: Futurism\* ## Recycling Batteries In its [2020 Impact Report](), electric carmaker Tesla claims that it can now recycle up to 92 percent of raw materials that go into its battery cells, a process that the company's factories have already begun to implement. The process could have a major impact on the environmental cost of building battery packs for electric vehicles. Not only is the process very energy intensive, but Tesla's current crop of batteries require cobalt, a rare metal associated with [questionable mining practices]() in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, and elsewhere. ## Long Term Notably, Tesla didn't release any specific figures as to how many battery packs it actually recycled last year. According to the company's figures, 1,300 tons of nickel, 400 tons of copper, and 80 tons of cobalt were recycled in 2020 from Tesla battery packs. "A Tesla battery pack is designed to outlast the vehicle itself," the report reads. "Because of this, few consumer Tesla batteries — even those from our nearly nine-year-old Model S cars — have been decommissioned to date." ## Post-Consumer Tesla has been working on the process with third-parties for more than two years, [according to *InsideEVs*](), but has remained tightlipped about any details. "The small number of post-consumer batteries that we receive are primarily generated from our fleet of vehicles on the road, predominantly from taxi-like vehicles," reads the report. The company also noted that since the Model S has only been in production for nine years, it will "likely be some time before we start receiving back batteries in larger volumes." Tesla has a strong interest in producing its own nickel, cobalt, and copper from recycled batteries, so it makes sense to spend money ironing out its recycling processes. Fortunately, that could come to the benefit of the environment as well. **READ MORE:** [New Tesla Battery Recycling Process Reportedly Produces No Waste]() \[*InsideEVs*\] **More on Tesla:** *[Rumors Are Swirling That Tesla Will Sell a $25,000 Car]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()