One thing is clear: the electrification of transport is on the rise in Quebec. Except that a storm is looming on the horizon: we will have to manage the large wave of used batteries that will befall us when the first generations of electric vehicles leave our roads.
Given the importance given to this important project by the government and the sums that we invest collectively in it, Équiterre is working hard to ensure that this transformation enhances the high monetary value product that is the electric vehicle battery, made up of metals. rare and strategic whose extraction must be limited.
And in fact, we see an important issue coming up in this regard: it is estimated that we will have 73,000 end-of-life electric car batteries to manage in Quebec in 2030!
And it is in the coming months that we will know how we intend to get by with the reform of a regulation based on the principle of extended producer responsibility, or “EPR”.
The what? The EPR is a bit like an instruction manual to make companies responsible for the goods they put on the market. In other words, it dictates how to manage these assets when they reach the end of their life. The EPR regulations already apply, for example, to electronic devices or even to paint cans.
And in our case, the Quebec government is currently writing the new rules of the game for the automotive industry and its electric vehicle batteries: how are we going to manage them in the coming years?
We are concerned about the pace of the discussions surrounding this crucial cog in the electrification of transportation in Quebec. The consultation process turned out to be far too summary to result in an adequate policy.
A product worth its weight in gold
The real problem is that the current PWR on offer lacks the bite to make sure you get the most out of each one.
At the moment, it provides for the recovery of the batteries based on a lifespan of 10 years: an arbitrary figure that risks leading to their premature end of life, when we should first and foremost favor the extension of their battery life. use.
It is essential to avoid removing them from vehicles before it is necessary.
We also ask that reuse targets be provided for in the new REP. Indeed, electric vehicle batteries can have a second life without necessarily going through recycling, for example, by storing solar or wind energy or by being used to propel smaller electric modes of transport, such as a boat.
Even if this phenomenon remains marginal, mechanisms must be put in place to encourage it. The best example of this? Our current management of electronic devices. According to the most recent data, only 10% of electronic devices recovered through EPR have found a second life. However, using an object over a longer period is the most concrete action to reduce its environmental footprint as much as possible. If there are no reuse targets, the results will not be there.
We have in our hands a product that is worth its weight in gold. There is a great danger of wasting these precious resources, but the opportunity is even greater to profit from them without harming the climate and the environment. The Legault government must seize it.