Tesla has submitted documents to local authorities in China indicating it plans to add a battery and electric motor recycling facility at Giga Shanghai.
According to the documents seen by Reuters, not only will the facility recycle the used components, it will also repair them. The documents also showed Tesla plans to add manufacturing capacity with the new addition to Giga Shanghai.
“The document also said Tesla will add manufacturing capacities for car structures and electric motor controllers. It did not put detailed figures of its manufacturing capacities.”
The move to recycle used EV batteries is key in the world’s largest auto market. Tesla sales in the country have grown since Giga Shanghai first opened early last year. In March 2021 more than 35,000 vehicles were delivered as Model Y production continues to ramp up. Tesla is reportedly aiming to produce more than 550,000 vehicles out of the factory this year.
According to Tesla’s website, once a Tesla lithium-ion battery reaches its end of life, the materials inside are recovered and recycled. This allows for the valuable materials to be reused over and over again, if the automaker is unable to repair the battery first.
“…before decommissioning a consumer battery pack and sending it for recycling, Tesla does everything it can to extend the useful life of each battery pack. Any battery that is no longer meeting a customer’s needs can be serviced by Tesla at one of our service centers around the world. None of our scrapped lithium-ion batteries go to landfilling, and 100% are recycled.”
