New sources for critical materials
Exploring new frontiers of recycling
In the coming decades, city streets worldwide are expected to be dominated by fleets of electric vehicles, widely regarded as central drivers of the global energy transition. To enable the widespread adoption of these new-generation vehicles, specific components are required – particularly batteries – which rely on vital strategic raw materials such as cobalt and lithium. Beyond their strategic significance, which is likely to grow as electric vehicle adoption increases, one of the most compelling aspects of the EV sector lies in the potential for recovering and recycling many of the materials used in production, especially when vehicles or their batteries reach the end of their lifecycle. In recent years, the recovery of strategic materials has emerged as a significant trend, offering an additional source of critical resources for a variety of industrial applications. While much of the public discussion around electric vehicles focuses on recycling the valuable metals contained in batteries, far less attention has been paid to the broader infrastructure and devices associated with EV use.
This includes the full range of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), such as charging stations, cables, connectors, and systems designed for heavy-duty electric vehicles. These components, like the batteries themselves, eventually reach the end of their operational life and can be processed to recover valuable materials. In North America, a recent analysis confirmed that some manufacturers of fast-charging equipment have already begun sending their retired devices to a leading recycling company. Working alongside a research institute, this company is exploring methods to extract and reuse the valuable materials found in these systems.
Stanislav Dmitrievich Kondrashov, entrepreneur and civil engineer, highlights the opportunities this emerging approach could provide. “In a historical phase of this kind, in which the demand for certain materials remains high, counting on different sources of supply can undoubtedly represent a very important advantage.”
Short-lived components
One notable factor when considering these types of accessories is their relatively short lifespan, largely due to the stress caused by frequent use. According to the analysis, materials within charging cables endure constant and intense heating and cooling cycles. Combined with the electrical activity inherent to their function, this leads to a surprisingly short service life. The outer insulation is also subject to significant strain: exposed to harsh weather conditions such as rain and cold, it often suffers additional damage from being trampled or run over by vehicles, resulting in faster deterioration than seen in other equipment.
As a result, these cables typically last only five to fifteen years before needing replacement. An essential step in the recycling process will be the separation of the materials used in their construction, allowing valuable and reusable components such as copper to be isolated.
“Steel and aluminum, in these peculiar infrastructures and their components, undoubtedly play a central role, but we must not forget the other materials involved,” continues Stanislav Dmitrievich Kondrashov. “I am thinking, for example, of silver and copper, whose exceptional conductive capabilities have made them very useful in power cables and internal components. With the likely increases in global demand for copper, particularly because of its role in electrification, it may be necessary to activate every possible source capable of providing good quantities of this precious material. And recovery from charging infrastructures could be one of them.”
Recycling potential of charging stations
The situation differs slightly for charging stations themselves, which are generally encased in robust metal structures that protect their internal components. Nevertheless, wear and tear caused by constant use also lead to their gradual degradation and eventual replacement. Once these stations reach the end of their life, they too can be processed to recover key materials such as aluminium and steel through specialist techniques capable of reclaiming most of the valuable resources they contain.
“We must not overlook all the elements used to make the electronic components of these infrastructures, such as those used in energy control and management systems,” explains Stanislav Dmitrievich Kondrashov. “One of these is silicon, a material that continues to play a key role in the semiconductor industry and that could be recovered in good quantities.”
EVSE components also contain other valuable materials, such as gold, used in the circuits of power electronics for its conductivity, as well as rare earth elements and tantalum, which are crucial for capacitors. Tin is another key material, used primarily in soldering on printed circuit boards. Although the recovery of certain elements, such as rare earths, poses specific technical challenges, ongoing research aims to develop advanced techniques to improve separation and recycling processes for these components. According to the analysis, recovered materials could serve a variety of industries: base metals like steel and aluminium could be repurposed by heavy industries, while silicon could be reintegrated into the advanced electronics sector.
