Micromobility battery life cycle:
challenges and opportunities
The case for recovering lithium-ion batteries

MICROMOBILITY BATTERY LIFE CYCLE: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIESBattery and energy storage systems havedistinct public and product safety concerns.
Our testing and certification services and expertise help you understand how your products will perform under
anticipated usage and various hazardous scenarios — including abuse — during discharge and recharge cycles.

With the increase in use of lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries comes an increase indemand for the raw materials used in manufacturing and increased disposal of
used batteries. By one estimate, China alone will generate over 500,000 metrictons of used li-ion batteries in 2020 and the worldwide number will be over 2
million metric tons.1
Many sustainability considerations around the life cycle of li-ion batteries must
be taken into account: from environmental and social considerations during
mining to potential impacts during disposal. For example, Congo is the world’s
largest producer of cobalt, producing approximately 70% of the world supply.3
Most cobalt is mined as a byproduct of copper or nickel in larger mines althoughartisanal mining still is a production path. As recently as 2019, cobalt was involvedin a lawsuit alleging child labor used in mining in Congo.4
Many of the potential social and environmental emissions issues can be avoided
by recycling cobalt. While current technologies for battery recycling have carbon
emissions similar to using virgin material, new technologies are coming onlinethat can significantly reduce carbon emissions.

Several valuable
raw materials in
li-ion batteries
can be recovered,including nickel andcobalt, which as ofJuly 2020 tradedat around $6 and$14 per poundrespectively.22

MICROMOBILITY BATTERY LIFE CYCLE: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Safety issues during recovery
While recycling li-ion batteries has many benefits, it also has potential safety hazards. Inherent to li-ion chemistries
currently in use is the risk of fire from the stored energy in the battery. But the fire risk can be avoided in several ways.
First is recycling only a completely discharged battery. If the battery is no longer charged, the energy required to start afire from a short circuit or puncture is missing and the battery is much less likely to catch on fire. Second is to properly
manage the battery at end of life, recycling rather than disposing in general waste. Multiple incidents have beenreported in which a charged li-ion battery was placed in general waste and has caused a fire when compressed in atruck or damaged on the sorting floor, according to a story from the Washington Post, research from the Fire Safety
Journal and an article from Fire Rescue1 by Lexipol.5 Proper disposal, sorting and recycling of batteries is critical to thesafety of municipal recycling systems.

Our commitment to advancing battery safety science
We have been supporting the battery industry for more than 30 years. During thisperiod, batteries evolved into different end applications, chemistries, sizes, shapes
and energy densities. As a part of our public safety mission, we conduct research
into battery safety to provide better understanding of batteries, their safety
profiles, material attributes and failure mechanisms. Expansion of battery usage
into micromobility products in recent years has brought additional challenges inbattery safety, performance, environmental impact and recycling.
You can leverage our services to test and certify products according toUL Standards and applicable global, national and regional standards andrequirements. These include the United Nations (UN) requirements for lithium
battery transportation testing, as detailed in the UN Manual of Tests and Criteria,
Sub-section 38.3 (UN 38.3, UN International Air Transport Association (IATA), U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT)).
Our comprehensive solution for batteries and micromobility manufacturers,distributors, retailers, users and others include:• Safety testing and certification ofbatteries and end products• Electromagnetic compatibility(EMC) and radio performance
testing• Advisory and training solutions• Global Market Access solutions• Performance testing and claimsvalidation• Functional safety evaluations• Forensic analysis• Research testing• Environmental sustainability
solutions• Component safety testing andcertification• Ongoing compliance of supplychain and manufacturing control

3

MICROMOBILITY BATTERY LIFE CYCLE: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIESPowering progress across the battery value chain

Our services cover the entire value chain of the energy storage industry. From suppliers, manufacturers and system integrators, toinsurers, shippers, retailers and consumers, we transform decades of experience and expertise into tangible assistance. Here are someof the overarching services on which our customers depend.

SafetyUN/DOT Compliance

We offer safety compliance testing, inspection andcertification for accessing and achieving differentiation in
global markets. For the past 30 years, we have been a leader
in safety testing and certification for battery technology
and we have wide experience in providing those solutions in
multiple locations globally, to various standards, including
the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC),European Standards (EN), UL Standards and many others.

UN/DOT 38.3 is an international standard designed to help
ensure the safety of lithium batteries when transported.
We have multiple testing laboratories across the globe todemonstrate compliance with UN/DOT 38.3.

This is important because a recent study done by theEuropean Commission found that 80% of the personaltransporter products they evaluated were not in compliancewith requirements. The product-specific activity of personaltransporters was analyzed in 46 samples of electric bikes,electric scooters, hoverboards and uni-wheels. The main
hazards found included:• Risks of fire or explosion when charging electricalpersonal transporters• When using hoverboards under the rain or on wet
surfaces, there is a risk of sudden electrical failure, if theelectric system gets wet6

Performance
Our performance testing is available across the value
chain, from competitive benchmarking for materials
to charge/discharge and overcharge tests for cell andbattery pack manufacturers as well as environmental andaltitude simulation for system integrators. We also offer
UL performance certification Marks for battery products
compliant to relevant IEC/ EN standards.

Sustainability
UL Environmental Claim Validation (ECV) provides
manufacturers with credibility for their environmental
sustainability claims, such as battery recycling programs.
Validated products are featured on our publicly available UL
SPOT Sustainable Product Database.

Transparency
Companies with effective and responsible supply chain
management systems gain competitive advantages fortheir brand. Our experts offer a range of services to help
companies identify and track potential conflict minerals intheir supply chain, supporting increased customer loyalty
and corporate profitability.

Market incidents
An appropriate response to market incidents caused bybatteries and micromobility products requires a deep
knowledge of technology and scientific analysis of evidence
and root causes. Our forensic analysis solutions, led byour technical experts utilizing scientific methods andequipment, help our customers identify quality, design andusage issues; establish a benchmark for future designs; andset up proper criteria and requirements for their products.

4

MICROMOBILITY BATTERY LIFE CYCLE: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Complete lifecycle support
Advisory service forbattery design

Safety testing, performancetesting, functional safety testing
Environmental &sustainability solutions

Supply chain andmanufacturing control

Forensics
analysis

Endnotes
1.
2.
3.

4.
5.

6.

https://cen.acs.org/materials/energy-storage/time-seriousrecycling-lithium/97/i28
https://www.dailymetalprice.com/metalprices.php accessed 6/16/20
USGS National Mineral Information Center – Cobalt
Statistics and Information 2020 Mineral Commodity
Summaries - https://www.usgs.gov/centers/nmic/cobaltstatistics-and-information
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-50812616
https://www.washingtonpost.com/
technology/2018/09/11/explosive-problem-with-recyclingipads-iphones-other-gadgets-they-literally-catch-fire/https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/consumers_safety/safety_
products/rapex/alerts/?event=casp:persTrans

References
Ragni Fjellgaard Mikalsen, Anders Lönnermark, Karin Glansberg,
Margaret McNamee, Karolina Storesund, "Fires in waste facilities:
Challenges and solutions from a Scandinavian perspective",
Fire Safety Journal, 2020, 103023, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
firesaf.2020.103023
https://www.firerescue1.com/firefighter-safety/articles/batteries-cited-as-cause-of-wash-recycling-truck-fire2QwHXB8EXIh1lmOy/

To talk to us about your micromobility battery life cycle
services needs, contact us at UL.com/contact-us or learn more atUL.com/micromobility-devices

5

UL.com© 2020 UL LLC. All rights reserved. This document may not be copied or
distributed without permission. It is provided for general information
purposes only and is not intended to convey legal or other professional advice.

CT26261459-0820