China strengthens recycling of used NEV power batteries

China is strengthening the recycling of used new energy vehicle (NEV) power batteries to address the rising number of end-of-life power batteries and fuel the country's green transition.

China's NEV industry has expanded rapidly. In 2025, NEV production and sales both exceeded 16 million units, accounting for over half of domestic new vehicle sales.

With power batteries from earlier NEVs reaching the end of their service life due to capacity degradation, relevant studies projected nearly 500,000 tons of retired batteries in China for this year alone.

Once dismantled, used NEV power batteries must be turned over to comprehensive utilization companies for standardized, full-scale handling, as improper disposal may lead to electrolyte leakage and heavy-metal pollution, posing risks of environmental damage.

At an NEV dismantling workshop in Nanjing of east China's Jiangsu Province, workers were taking apart power batteries from NEVs. Each removed battery was labeled with a unique QR code.

"After the batteries are disassembled, we scan the QR code in our traceability system to directly trace the vehicle information associated with that battery, thus forming a complete closed loop," said Wang Fengkui, technical lead of the workshop.

The workshop has also set up various safety facilities to respond to emergencies such as thermal runaway, fires and leaks.

The dismantled and decommissioned power batteries would be ultimately sent to specialized recycling companies, where chemical processing extracts recyclable materials such as nickel, cobalt, manganese and lithium from the batteries.

Recovery rates for nickel, cobalt and manganese are as high as 99.6 percent, while lithium recovery rate exceeds 90 percent. These reclaimed materials can be reprocessed into positive electrode materials and used in brand-new batteries.

In January, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and five other departments jointly issued interim measures on the recycling and comprehensive utilization of used NEV power batteries.

The measures, which took effect on April 1, 2026, provide that each NEV power battery must be assigned a digital identity.

Highlighting a "full-channel, full-chain, and full-lifecycle" management framework, the interim measures include establishing a national NEV power battery traceability information platform and a digital ID management system.

The measures also specify that if the power battery is missing, the NEV is treated as missing. Disassembled batteries must be handed over to approved recycling centers or comprehensive utilization companies, and illegal dismantling is strictly prohibited.

China strengthens recycling of used NEV power batteries

Iranian officials have strongly condemned a deadly U.S. airstrike that hit a wedding ceremony in the southern province of Hormozgan last week, which comes after numerous strikes on civilian targets which have occurred in recent months.

Iranian media reported that the U.S. strike night hit a wedding party in Sirik County of Hormozgan on Sept 1, killing at least four people and injuring 68 others. Reports said that dozens of people had gathered for the wedding of a fisherman's daughter.

Following the incident, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei described the attack as "a desperate U.S. attempt to hide its defeat", while U.S. Vice President JD Vance later said the United States is "investigating" the strike.

The attack has been met with widespread anger across Iran, turning what should have been a joyous occasion into one of tragedy and grief.

Jodari, a local official in Kuhestak where the attack happened, described what unfolded. He said U.S. forces first hit a signal tower in the area, before two missiles struck the wedding venue.

"Two missiles hit here. One struck the roof directly. The other came in from the edge of the roof of the building opposite and hit the upper part of the structure. Such acts should be condemned. Any attack on civilians anywhere in the world must be condemned," said Jodari as he spoke from the scene of the attack.

Iranian officials say the latest attack is the latest in a series of questionable humanitarian violations committed by the United States in its war against Iran.

"On the very first day of the war, they struck a school in Minab, and the school is nearby here. They also hit a gymnasium in Lamerd. So far, more than 30 gymnasiums and several hospitals across Iran have been attacked. Many civilian facilities, including bridges, pharmaceutical factories, and other infrastructure, have also been targeted," said Morteza Karamoozian, head of Iran's Media Basij Organization.

One of the most controversial incidents occurred on the opening day of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran on Feb 28, when a strike hit a girls' elementary school in Minab in the south of the country, killing 168 people, most of them children, according to Iranian authorities. Evidence from subsequent investigations has pointed to a U.S. Tomahawk missile as the weapon used in the strike.

Iranian officials strongly condemn deadly US airstrike on wedding ceremony