Vector Electricity Asset Management Plan— 2020 Update
CASE STUDY: GETTING AHEAD OF INCREASING NUMBERS OF END-OF-LIFE BATTERIES In December 2019 Vector announced the launch of the Battery Industry Group (B.I.G.), a cross-industry collaboration that will design reuse and recycling solutions for large batteries, commonly found in electric vehicles or in stationary energy storage. The vision and context for the group is provided by Vector’s New Energy Futures Paper: Batteries and the Circular Economy and a Technical Addendum, in which Vector transparently shares all research and data gathered to date. B.I.G. is a significant move for the business community, being described by internationally prominent sustainability charity, Forum for the Future, as a ‘lightning rod’ for the public and private sector in New Zealand. The group aims to propose a ‘circular’ product stewardship scheme for end-of-use and end-of-life battery management to the Ministry for the Environment within the next 12 months. This will include recommendations on consistent safety guidance for the handling, storage and shipping of used large batteries. The group has a core delivery team of Vector, Eunomia Research & Consulting and WasteMINZ, with funding from Vector, EECA and the Motor Industry Association of New Zealand. The move acknowledges the important role businesses can play in not only front-footing the e-waste challenge, but also acting as a catalyst to accelerate our transition to a low-emission circular economy. “Vector recognises that electrification of transport presents a significant opportunity to help New Zealand achieve a zero-carbon future,” said Vector Group CEO, Simon Mackenzie. “The research in the New Energy Futures Paper tells us that there will be between 500 and 1,000 EV batteries coming to the end of their lives by 2020, potentially rising to 17,000 by 2025 and a staggering 84,000 by 2030. “While batteries are key to powering our new energy future, they contain valuable materials that come at an environmental and social cost. It’s clear that we must work collaboratively with others to ensure we have a proactive, robust plan in place to make the most of battery capacity, as well as mitigating any risks from their disposal. This initiative will produce the circular blueprint we need to achieve this.” The New Energy Futures Paper is the culmination of research commissioned by Vector from Eunomia with the Batteries Leaders Group in 2018. That group now forms the basis of the wider B.I.G. and its three working groups: the Safety & Logistics Group, the Battery Innovation Hub, and the Battery User Group.
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