China's EV battery recycling boom fuels green transition, taps global market
中国电动汽车电池回收热潮推动行业绿色转型，开拓全球市场
TIANJIN, June 5 (Xinhua) -- In the northern Chinese industrial city of Tianjin, a bustling workshop is bringing discarded electric vehicle batteries back to life through the combined expertise of skilled technicians and automated systems.
天津，6月5日（新华社）-在华北工业城市天津，一个忙碌不停的的车间正在通过技术人员的熟练操作和自动化系统的综合专业知识使废弃的电动汽车电池“起死回生”。
The scene exemplifies a massive business opportunity unfolding across China, as the world's largest electric vehicle market is set to turn battery waste from a pollution challenge into a key asset in its green revolution.
这一场景体现出中国面临着的巨大商机，因为这个全球最大的电动汽车市场将把电池废物污染问题转变为绿色革命的关键资产。
Positioned at the forefront of the country's sustainable economy, this startup, Tianjin Battery Technology, is targeting this rapidly expanding sector.
天津电池科技，一家初创公司，锁定了国家可持续经济的前沿，快速瞄准了这一正在发展的领域。
The market segment is on the cusp of substantial growth, as China continues to lead the world in the production and sales of new energy vehicles. Additionally, the rising number of end-of-life power batteries is expanding demand for sustainable solutions.
该市场正处于大幅增长的风口浪尖，中国新能源汽车在产量和销量都持续领跑全球其他国家。此外，报废的动力电池数量的不断增加也增加了对可持续解决方案的需求。
By the end of 2024, China had 31.4 million new energy vehicles, representing about 9 percent of its automobile fleet. Following the government's launch of trade-in policies, consumer interest in upgrading vehicles surged, which in turn further expanded the recycling market.
截至2024年底，中国已经拥有了为3140万辆能源汽车，约占汽车总量的9%。随着政府推出以旧换新政策，消费者对车辆升级的兴趣激增，进而进一步扩大了回收市场。
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology mandated that passenger vehicle manufacturers provide an 8-year or 120,000-kilometer warranty on core components such as batteries starting from 2016.
中国工信部要求生产载客汽车的企业自2016年起，对电池等核心部件提供8年或12万公里的质保。
Market forecasts indicate that China's retired power batteries will hit 1.04 million tonnes in 2025 and may surge to 3.5 million tonnes by 2030.
根据市场预测，2025年中国报废的动力电池将达到104万吨，到2030年可能增至350万吨。
UNLOCKING POTENTIALS
释放潜力
Ma Youwei, a 40-year-old equipment manager at the Tianjin firm, oversees the disassembly of battery packs and modules. As far as he is concerned, these seemingly "retired" batteries are treasure troves.
天津公司40岁的设备经理——马有为负责监督电池组件和模块的装配。在他看来，这些看似“退役”的电池都是宝藏。
In his factory, some disassembled components are reused for second-hand vehicle repairs. Crushing batteries produces copper and aluminum, and the black powder is further refined into battery-grade lithium carbonate.
在他的工厂里，一些拆卸下来的部件被重新用于二手车维修。粉碎后的电池产生铜和铝，这些黑色粉末可以进一步提炼成电池级碳酸锂。
"In our words, we work to fully extract the value from the retired batteries and leave no potential untapped," said Ma, production material control manager of the factory's engineering equipment department.
“对于我们来说，我们致力于充分挖掘报废电池的价值，不留下任何未开发的潜力，”工厂工程设备部的生产材料管理经理马说。
With nearly 20 years of experience in digital electronics and battery manufacturing, he joined this role three years ago, driven by the industry's considerable potential.
他在数字电子和电池制造领域有着近20年的经验，在该行业的巨大潜力的推动下，马于三年前加入了这一岗位。
Tianjin Battery Technology has reached an annual processing capacity of 10,000 tonnes, achieving a lithium recovery rate of over 90 percent.
天津电池科技已经可以做到年处理1万吨废弃动力电池，锂回收率超过90%。
"China heavily relies on imports for lithium, cobalt and nickel," said Ke Yanchun from China Resources Recycling Group Co., Ltd., a newly-established state-owned enterprise.
“中国的锂、钴和镍严重依赖进口，”新成立的国有企业华润再生集团有限公司的柯彦春说。
"Recycling retired power batteries effectively reduces the high dependency on imported resources in the upstream of China's new energy vehicle industry," said Ke.
“回收报废的动力电池有效降低了中国新能源汽车产业上游对进口资源的高度依赖，”柯说。
TECH-DRIVEN
技术驱动
China's battery recycling sector is plagued by the presence of small, unregulated workshops. Industry leaders are leveraging technological innovation to boost efficiency and restructure the industry chain.
中国的电池回收行业面临着不受监管的小作坊的困扰。该行业的领导者正在利用技术创新来提高效率并重组产业链。
GEM, a Shenzhen-based publicly-listed company and a major Chinese battery recycler, employs a flexible intelligent dismantling system for accurate detection and sorting. Its recycling innovations include high- and low-temperature catalytic activation and ultra-precise lithium extraction, achieving over 90 percent lithium recovery.
GEM，是一家总部位于深圳的上市公司，也是中国主要的电池回收商，它采用了一种灵活的智能拆卸系统，用于精确检测和分类。其回收创新包括高低温催化活化和超精密锂提取，锂回收率超过90%。
The company also built a digital lifecycle management system to track batteries from recycling to utilization, supporting its dual-track business model.
该公司还创建了一个数字生命周期管理系统，以跟踪电池从回收到利用的过程，支持其双轨商业模式。
It has established a circular economy industrial park in the Shenshan Special Cooperation Zone, which is just one kilometer from the production lines of BYD, the country's leading electric vehicle manufacturer.
它在深汕特别合作区建立了一个循环经济产业园，距离中国领先的电动汽车制造商比亚迪的生产线仅一公里。
Now, GEM has set up over 140 recycling sites nationwide and partnered with more than 750 vehicle and battery manufacturers and operators worldwide. In the first quarter of this year, it recycled 10,800 tonnes of power batteries, up 37 percent year on year.
目前，GEM已在全国范围内建立了140多个回收站点，并与全球750多家汽车和电池制造商和运营商合作。今年第一季度，它回收了10,800吨动力电池，同比增长37%。
In the Tianjin company, Ma and his colleagues have improved battery dismantling efficiency by 75 percent through modified tools. By using techniques like cutting and welding, they have transformed standard tools to meet the complex requirements of battery disassembly.
在天津的这家公司，马和他的同事们通过改进工具，将电池拆卸效率提高了75%。通过使用切割和焊接等技术，他们改变了标准工具，以满足电池拆卸的复杂要求。
"This simple innovation has made a significant impact," Ma noted.
“这个简单的创新产生了重大影响，”马云指出。
OVERSEAS EXPANSION
海外拓展
As China's share of the global electric vehicle market continues to grow, battery recycling companies are also expanding their international presence to meet local environmental regulations.
随着中国在全球电动汽车市场的份额不断增长，众多电池回收公司也在扩大其国际业务，以满足当地的环境法规。
CATL, the world's largest battery manufacturer, plans to establish battery recycling operations in Europe, with the completion of its Hungarian re-manufacturing plant slated for 2026. This initiative is part of its efforts to address environmental concerns in battery production and disposal.
全球最大的电池制造商CATL计划在欧洲建立电池回收业务，其匈牙利再制造工厂预计于2026年完工。这一举措是其解决电池生产和处置中环境问题的努力的一部分。
GEM has established seven power battery recycling centers including those in the Republic of Korea and Indonesia.
GEM已建立包括韩国、印尼等国家在内的7个动力电池回收中心。
Gotion High-tech in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, and Envision Greenwise in Hong Kong have reached a strategic cooperation agreement, planning to jointly build 100 recycling and after-sales service centers globally.
位于中国东部安徽省合肥市的Goion High tech和香港的Envision Greenwise已达成战略合作协议，计划在全球共同建设100个回收和售后服务中心。
Also, Huayou Recycling in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, has entered a strategic partnership with SUEZ Group, one of the largest European environmental services corporations, to explore the French battery recycling market.
此外，浙江省嘉兴市的华友回收公司已与欧洲最大的环境服务公司之一苏伊士集团建立战略合作伙伴关系，以开拓法国电池回收市场。
