* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Sunday, October 5, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Why Taylor Swift Name-Dropped Elizabeth Taylor in Her New Album – Yahoo

    Here’s Why Taylor Swift Dropped Elizabeth Taylor’s Name in Her New Album

    Al Roker Gives Olivia Dean an Unexpected ‘New Job’ on the ‘Today’ Show – Yahoo

    Al Roker Shocks Olivia Dean with an Exciting New Role on the ‘Today’ Show

    Books about the arts and some haunts for a Denton October – Denton Record-Chronicle

    Uncover Artistic Treasures and Spooky Adventures to Experience in Denton This October

    Taylor Swift Releases New Album The Life of a Showgirl : Listen and Read the Full Credits – Yahoo

    Taylor Swift Releases New Album The Life of a Showgirl : Listen and Read the Full Credits – Yahoo

    Toni Braxton Is Turning Her Biggest Hits Into Lifetime Movies – Yahoo

    Toni Braxton Is Turning Her Biggest Hits Into Lifetime Movies – Yahoo

    Major airline to offer new in-flight entertainment options for passengers – PennLive.com

    Major airline to offer new in-flight entertainment options for passengers – PennLive.com

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    What the Recent Price Surge Means for Figure Technology Solutions After SEC Settlement – Yahoo Finance

    What the Recent Price Surge Reveals About Figure Technology Solutions Following SEC Settlement

    MAC Brings iPad Technology to Football Sidelines Across All 13 Member Schools – Sports Video Group

    MAC Brings iPad Technology to Football Sidelines Across All 13 Member Schools – Sports Video Group

    Technology Is Becoming More Important Than Humans In CX – No Jitter

    Technology Is Becoming More Important Than Humans In CX – No Jitter

    A Tech Expo Shows What China Can Make, but Not Who’ll Buy It All – The New York Times

    Inside China’s Tech Expo: Cutting-Edge Innovations Face Uncertain Demand

    Steampunk Metal Oval Technology Sense Sunglasses Personality Handmade Chain Multicolor Sunglasses UV400 – The San Joaquin Valley Sun

    Steampunk Metal Oval Sunglasses with Handmade Multicolor Chain – Bold UV400 Protection and Unique Style

    STELLA Automotive AI Appoints Fred Seidelman as Chief Technology Officer – Yahoo Finance

    STELLA Automotive AI Appoints Fred Seidelman as New Chief Technology Officer

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Why Taylor Swift Name-Dropped Elizabeth Taylor in Her New Album – Yahoo

    Here’s Why Taylor Swift Dropped Elizabeth Taylor’s Name in Her New Album

    Al Roker Gives Olivia Dean an Unexpected ‘New Job’ on the ‘Today’ Show – Yahoo

    Al Roker Shocks Olivia Dean with an Exciting New Role on the ‘Today’ Show

    Books about the arts and some haunts for a Denton October – Denton Record-Chronicle

    Uncover Artistic Treasures and Spooky Adventures to Experience in Denton This October

    Taylor Swift Releases New Album The Life of a Showgirl : Listen and Read the Full Credits – Yahoo

    Taylor Swift Releases New Album The Life of a Showgirl : Listen and Read the Full Credits – Yahoo

    Toni Braxton Is Turning Her Biggest Hits Into Lifetime Movies – Yahoo

    Toni Braxton Is Turning Her Biggest Hits Into Lifetime Movies – Yahoo

    Major airline to offer new in-flight entertainment options for passengers – PennLive.com

    Major airline to offer new in-flight entertainment options for passengers – PennLive.com

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    What the Recent Price Surge Means for Figure Technology Solutions After SEC Settlement – Yahoo Finance

    What the Recent Price Surge Reveals About Figure Technology Solutions Following SEC Settlement

    MAC Brings iPad Technology to Football Sidelines Across All 13 Member Schools – Sports Video Group

    MAC Brings iPad Technology to Football Sidelines Across All 13 Member Schools – Sports Video Group

    Technology Is Becoming More Important Than Humans In CX – No Jitter

    Technology Is Becoming More Important Than Humans In CX – No Jitter

    A Tech Expo Shows What China Can Make, but Not Who’ll Buy It All – The New York Times

    Inside China’s Tech Expo: Cutting-Edge Innovations Face Uncertain Demand

    Steampunk Metal Oval Technology Sense Sunglasses Personality Handmade Chain Multicolor Sunglasses UV400 – The San Joaquin Valley Sun

    Steampunk Metal Oval Sunglasses with Handmade Multicolor Chain – Bold UV400 Protection and Unique Style

    STELLA Automotive AI Appoints Fred Seidelman as Chief Technology Officer – Yahoo Finance

    STELLA Automotive AI Appoints Fred Seidelman as New Chief Technology Officer

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

EV Batteries Are Dangerous to Repair. Here’s Why Mechanics Are Doing So Anyway

December 25, 2023
in Science
EV Batteries Are Dangerous to Repair. Here’s Why Mechanics Are Doing So Anyway
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

About three times a day, Rich Benoit gets a call to his auto shop, The Electrified Garage, from the owner of an older Tesla Model S whose car battery has begun to fail. The battery, which used to provide several hundred miles of range, might suddenly only last 50 miles on a single charge. These cars are often out of warranty, and the cost of replacing the battery can exceed $15,000.

For most products, repair is a more affordable option than replacement. And in theory, lots of these Tesla batteries can be fixed, said Benoit, who runs one of the few Tesla-focused independent repair shops in the United States. But due to the time and training involved, the safety considerations, and the complexity of the repair, Benoit said that the bill to fix one car battery at his shop might run upwards of $10,000 — more than most consumers are willing to pay. Instead, he said, many choose to sell or donate their old vehicle for scrap and buy a brand new Tesla.

“It’s getting to the point where [the car] is almost like a consumable, like a TV,” Benoit said.

Benoit’s experience heralds a problem that early adopters of EVs, as well as electric micromobility devices like e-bikes and e-scooters, are beginning to face: These vehicles contain big, expensive batteries that will inevitably degrade or stop working over time. Repairing these batteries can have sustainability benefits, saving energy and resources that would otherwise be used to manufacture a new one. That’s particularly important for EVs, which contain very large batteries that must be used for years to offset the carbon emissions associated with making them. But many EV and e-mobility batteries are difficult to repair by design, and some manufacturers actively discourage the practice, citing safety concerns. The small number of independent mechanics who repair EV or e-bike batteries struggle to do so affordably due to design challenges, safety requirements, and a lack of access to spare parts.

“There’s a lot of batteries in the recycle bin that could be repaired,” said Timoté Rouffignac, who runs a small e-bike battery repair business called Daurema in Brussels, Belgium. But “because they are not made to be repaired, it’s quite hard to propose a good price.”

A lithium-ion battery in a smartphone contains a single “cell” consisting of a graphite anode, a metallic cathode, and a liquid electrolyte that allows lithium ions to move from one side to the other to generate an electrical potential. An e-bike battery often contains dozens of cells. EV batteries, meanwhile, can contain hundreds to thousands of individual cells, which are often packaged into “modules,” and from there, bundled into a battery pack. In addition to cells and modules, electric car and e-bike batteries typically include a battery management system that monitors the battery’s state of health and controls the rate of charging and discharging.

All lithium-ion batteries degrade with use and eventually need to be replaced. But when a battery contains many individual cells and other components, its lifespan can sometimes be extended through repair, a process that involves identifying and replacing the bad cells or modules and fixing other faulty parts, like a glitchy battery management system. In some cases, a single module is all that needs to be replaced. Swapping that module out, instead of replacing the entire battery, reduces demand for battery metals like lithium, as well as the carbon emissions tied to manufacturing replacement batteries (or new vehicles). That makes battery repair “highly desirable for a circular economy” — a system in which resources are conserved and reused — said Gavin Harper, a research fellow who studies battery sustainability at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom.

And while not necessarily cheap, repairing batteries can save money. Tyler Helps of Cox Automotive, which repairs in-warranty EV batteries on behalf of automakers and their dealers across the United States, said that in general, a refurbished EV battery is about half the cost of a new one. Since it began offering EV battery repair services in 2014, Cox Automotive estimates that it has saved over a gigawatt hour’s worth of batteries — enough to power about 17,000 new EVs — from being prematurely discarded. 

“There’s a myriad of different reasons repair is vastly [more] beneficial than replacement,” Helps told Grist.

But battery repair is dangerous and shouldn’t be attempted at home or by novices, experts say. If battery cells are damaged during a repair attempt, it can cause a short circuit that leads to a fire or explosion. If the person attempting the repair isn’t wearing the proper high-voltage gloves, they could be electrocuted. “You’d be playing with fire” if you didn’t know what you were doing, said John Mathna, who runs the e-bike repair shop Chattanooga Electric Bike Co., noting that some e-bike batteries contain “enough current to kill someone.” 

At a bare minimum, battery repair requires high-voltage training, electrical experience, personal protective equipment, and “a baseline understanding of the architectures and how the battery works,” Helps said. Those wishing to fix EV batteries also need equipment to lift the car off the ground and physically remove the battery, which can weigh thousands of pounds. 

“There’s very few people that could or even should attempt something like this,” Benoit said. 

But even those who have the proper training often struggle to repair EV or e-bike batteries because of how they are designed. Many e-bike batteries are housed in heavy-duty plastic cases that can be difficult, if not impossible, to open up without damaging internal components. Inside an e-bike battery, or inside individual modules of an EV battery, cells are often glued or welded together, making them difficult or impossible to replace individually. What’s more, as a 2021 report by the European Environmental Bureau highlighted, some e-mobility batteries contain software that causes the battery to shut down if it detects evidence of unauthorized tinkering.

Manufacturers argue that their batteries are designed to promote safety, durability, and high performance, which can come at the expense of repairability, and many offer free or discounted replacement batteries within the warranty period (typically around two years for major e-bike brands and eight to 10 years or 100,000 miles for EVs). Repair advocates, on the other hand, contend that modular designs with reversible fasteners, such as clips or adhesives that can be unstuck, don’t necessarily compromise safety and that the benefits of designing for repair far exceed the costs.

European policymakers are beginning to listen to advocates. In August, the European Union adopted a new regulation aimed at fostering battery sustainability. Among other things, it includes a provision requiring that the batteries used in e-bikes and other “light means of transport” vehicles, like e-scooters, be repairable down to the individual cell level by independent professionals. The European e-bike industry, which strongly opposed this provision due to concerns over safety, battery certification, and legal liability issues, is now grappling with how to comply. 

“We are still examining how the requirements of the new EU battery regulation can be made possible while complying with the applicable safety regulations and our high quality standards,” e-bike battery manufacturer Bosch told Grist. One challenge for manufacturers, Bosch noted, is the “contrary development in the USA,” which is “on its way to stronger regulations and higher standards for e-bike batteries and systems.” 

Indeed, the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission recently announced that it is considering regulations for e-bikes and their batteries. This comes after a recent rash of e-bike battery fires that have also spurred a policy response on a local level. The New York City Council recently amended its fire code to prohibit “the assembly or reconditioning of a lithium-ion battery” using secondhand cells from another battery, which repairers sometimes do. 

The city also recently enacted a law requiring that e-mobility manufacturers ensure their products’ batteries are certified to the UL 2271 design standard, which is intended to promote safety. Ibrahim Jilani, the global director of consumer technology at UL Solutions — a multinational company that tests safety certification standards for a wide range of industrial and consumer products and materials — said that repaired batteries can meet this standard. But the company doing the repair would be required to “keep the design exactly how it was prior to needing repair,” Jilani said, including using the same make and model of cells and electronic components. Battery repair shops would also need to submit to UL field inspections four times a year, which would cost them a little over $5,000 a year, Jilani said.*

Compared with e-bikes, lawmakers have been relatively quiet on EV battery repair. In the U.S., there are no specific laws or regulations that address the issue. The EU’s new battery regulation doesn’t touch on EV battery repair either, other than to suggest lawmakers update a separate vehicle regulation “to ensure that those batteries can be removed, replaced, and disassembled.” 

That’s an idea that GDV, the German Insurance Association, “strongly supports,” a spokesperson told Grist. In October, the group published the results of a study that found EVs are a third more expensive to repair than similar gas-powered vehicles, a finding it attributed in part to the high costs of fixing or replacing batteries.

“There are a lot of automakers who do not allow battery repair, even in case of minor damages to the battery case,” a GDV spokesperson told Grist. Automakers sometimes choose to replace the battery if the car was involved in an accident that caused the airbags to activate. Both practices “will lead to an increase of repair costs,” and ultimately, higher insurance premiums, the spokesperson said.

New rules around EV battery repairability would come at a critical time. Helps, of Cox Automotive, said that two trends in EV battery design are occurring in parallel: “Batteries are either becoming very serviceable, or not serviceable at all.”

Some, like the batteries inside Volkswagon’s ID.4, feature LEGO-like modules that are easy to remove and replace. Others, like Tesla’s new 4680 structural battery pack, don’t include modules at all. Instead, all of the cells are bonded together and bonded to the pack itself, a design Helps described as “impossible to service.” If a bad cell group is found, the entire battery must be replaced.

“It’s still a fully recyclable battery,” Helps said. “You’re just not able to repair it.”

Tesla didn’t respond to Grist’s request for comment.

This story was originally published by Grist, a nonprofit media organization covering climate, justice, and solutions.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Scientific American – https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ev-batteries-are-dangerous-to-repair-heres-why-mechanics-are-doing-so-anyway/

Tags: Batteriesdangerousscience
Previous Post

Study suggests that the neural correlates of mind-wandering can vary across different tasks

Next Post

Calling Our Times the ‘Anthropocene Epoch’ Matters Dearly to You

How the government shutdown is hitting the health care system – and what the battle over ACA subsidies means – The Conversation

How the Government Shutdown Is Disrupting Health Care and What the Battle Over ACA Subsidies Means for You

October 5, 2025
Politics | Shutdown Showdown and More Court Battles – “The Sunday Political Brunch” – GoLocalProv

Shutdown Showdown and Intense Court Battles: Inside This Week’s Political Drama

October 5, 2025
First Record of Mating Involving a Melanistic Jaguar (Panthera onca) in the Wild: Novel Behavioural Insights Into Colour Morphs and Captive‐Wild Comparisons – Luypaert – 2025 – Ecology and Evolution – Wiley Online Library

First Record of Mating Involving a Melanistic Jaguar (Panthera onca) in the Wild: Novel Behavioural Insights Into Colour Morphs and Captive‐Wild Comparisons – Luypaert – 2025 – Ecology and Evolution – Wiley Online Library

October 5, 2025
Multi-generational vulture nests hold 700 years of human artifacts – Popular Science

Multi-generational vulture nests hold 700 years of human artifacts – Popular Science

October 5, 2025
Chinese tech company develops creepy ultra-lifelike robot face — watch it blink, twitch and nod – Live Science

Chinese tech company develops creepy ultra-lifelike robot face — watch it blink, twitch and nod – Live Science

October 5, 2025
FSE Lifestyle Services (HKG:331) Has Announced That Its Dividend Will Be Reduced To HK$0.185 – simplywall.st

FSE Lifestyle Services (HKG:331) Has Announced That Its Dividend Will Be Reduced To HK$0.185 – simplywall.st

October 5, 2025
Irrigation technology adapts to water restrictions – Farm Progress

Innovative Irrigation Technologies Transform Farming Amid Water Restrictions

October 5, 2025
Allende, Alba and Messi help Miami beat Revolution 4-1 – Yahoo Sports

Allende, Alba, and Messi Ignite Miami’s Stunning 4-1 Triumph Over Revolution

October 5, 2025
Watch the October 2025 Edition of the World Report – newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org

Watch the October 2025 Edition of the World Report – newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org

October 5, 2025
Shutdowns usually don’t do much economic damage, but there are reasons to worry this time – PBS

Why This Shutdown Could Hit the Economy Harder Than Usual

October 5, 2025

Categories

Archives

October 2025
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Sep    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (852)
  • Economy (872)
  • Entertainment (21,746)
  • General (17,421)
  • Health (9,915)
  • Lifestyle (885)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (874)
  • Politics (884)
  • Science (16,083)
  • Sports (21,373)
  • Technology (15,854)
  • World (855)

Recent News

How the government shutdown is hitting the health care system – and what the battle over ACA subsidies means – The Conversation

How the Government Shutdown Is Disrupting Health Care and What the Battle Over ACA Subsidies Means for You

October 5, 2025
Politics | Shutdown Showdown and More Court Battles – “The Sunday Political Brunch” – GoLocalProv

Shutdown Showdown and Intense Court Battles: Inside This Week’s Political Drama

October 5, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version