Critical Shifts:
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Operational Risk is Driving Rapid Tech Adoption: Managing degraded or volatile lithium-ion battery packs on-site is a major workshop liability. This safety concern is driving rapid industry adoption of specialized containment solutions, as evidenced by a 26% year-over-year increase in shipments of the award-winning OneDrum™ safety technology.
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Infrastructure Growth is Lowering the Barrier to Dealer Compliance: With 31 new battery stewards joining the network and a massive expansion of collection sites, the recycling ecosystem is scaling rapidly. This makes it easier and more convenient than ever for local dealerships to partner with certified professionals to safely offload hazardous cores.
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The Circular Economy Converts Liabilities into Revenue: Rather than treating spent EV and hybrid batteries as costly hazardous waste, dealerships can tap into the "second-life" market. Partnering with the recycling supply chain allows shops to reclaim valuable raw materials (like lithium, cobalt, and nickel) and turn spent cores into new service bay revenue.
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ATLANTA — As electrified vehicles (EVs and hybrids) command a growing share of the used car market, the infrastructure surrounding high-energy battery disposal is scaling up rapidly. Newly released data from The Battery Network's 2025 Impact Report reveals a massive surge in battery recycling participation, highlighting a shifting landscape that used car dealerships must prepare for in their service bays.
For independent and franchise used car dealers, managing aged hybrid and EV batteries is no longer a future concern—it is a current operational liability.
The EV & Hybrid Battery Lifecycle: How Recycling Works
To successfully navigate the electrified vehicle market, service departments must understand how high-energy batteries are handled once they leave the vehicle.
When a used hybrid or EV battery degrades past its useful automotive life, it enters a highly industrialized, closed-loop recycling ecosystem:
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Intake & Assessment: Technicians safely remove the degraded battery pack at the dealership.
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On-Site Containment: The volatile battery is stored in a specialized, fire-rated container.
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Logistics & Transport: Certified battery stewards safely transport the hazardous materials.
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Primary Processing: Recyclers reclaim valuable raw materials like lithium, cobalt, nickel, and copper.
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Second-Life or Re-Manufacturing: High-purity elements are reintegrated into brand new cell production, or the intact degraded packs are repurposed for stationary energy storage systems (ESS).
The Industry Shift: Scaling Safety and Infrastructure
The Battery Network's latest data points to a rapidly maturing commercial recycling supply chain that is making it easier for local dealerships to find partners:
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Massive Infrastructure Growth: The network added 3,100 new collection sites nationwide, ensuring that four out of five Americans now live within 15 miles of a certified battery drop-off location.
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Rapid Commercial Adoption: 31 new battery stewards joined the network in 2025, bringing total commercial and institutional participation to more than 250 organizations.
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Specialized High-Energy Collections: Over 60,000 pounds of high-energy batteries were collected through specialized programs, alongside an e-bike battery recycling initiative that collected 50,000 pounds (a 14% year-over-year increase across 2,400 sites).
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Safety Technology Breakthroughs: The network's specialized transit and storage container solution, OneDrum™, was named Battery Safety Technology of the Year at The Battery Show. Dealerships and service centers looking to secure their shops contributed to a 26% year-over-year increase in OneDrum™ shipments, proving that compliant containment tools are becoming standard workshop equipment.
Reflecting on these milestones, Leo Raudys, President and CEO of The Battery Network, highlighted how crucial this infrastructure is to the broader transition to electric mobility:
"As we reflect on 2025, one thing is clear: batteries are becoming increasingly essential to how we live, work and move. This year's results show that as battery use grows, Americans are embracing safe, responsible recycling when convenient infrastructure is available. Every battery recycled through the proper channels helps reduce safety risks, recover valuable materials, and keep those resources in circulation. The transition to a more electrified future will require trusted infrastructure, innovative solutions, and strong partnerships. We're committed to helping build a safer, more sustainable battery ecosystem for generations to come."
Why Independent Dealerships Need a "Battery Strategy" Now
As older, high-mileage hybrid and EV units trade hands on used car lots, service departments will increasingly face degraded packs. Dealerships must address two critical operational areas:
1. Mitigating Workshop Liability
Storing damaged, degraded, or swapped lithium-ion batteries in a standard service bay presents a severe thermal runaway fire hazard. By utilizing specialized, award-winning containment tech like the OneDrum™ system and aligning with some of the 250+ certified battery stewards in the network, used car operations can ensure that swapped packs are insulated and shipped off-site immediately.
2. Capitalizing on "Second-Life" Value
When an EV pack drops below 70% to 80% capacity, it is no longer fit for automotive use, but it still holds immense physical value. Instead of paying expensive hazardous waste disposal fees, savvy used car operations are leveraging certified recycling networks to turn spent hybrid/EV cores into cash-back opportunities, reclaiming value from the lithium, cobalt, and nickel trapped inside.
