Electric Vehicle Batteries Recycling: A Review

The rapid growth of electric vehicles has created an urgent need for practical end-of-life lithium-ion battery recycling systems that are technically competent, economically viable, and environmentally sustainable. To clarify these growing technical and systemic challenges, a detailed synthesis of the existing body of knowledge is required. This review systematically analyzes the EV battery recycling literature retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. From an initial set of about 1,700 publications, 130 studies were selected through structured screening for methodological relevance and technical analyses. The review is structured around four major topics: (1) collection and infrastructure planning, (2) recycling technologies, (3) digital and automation technologies, and (4) lifecycle and techno-economic assessments. For collection and infrastructure planning, the literature on game-theoretic and reverse logistics models show that coordinated networks and policy-driven incentives considerably improve collection outcomes and economic performance. In the area of recycling technologies, studies discuss that mechanical disassembly is mainly manual due to design heterogeneity and safety risks; while emerging robotic solutions deliver operational improvements. Pyrometallurgy provides robust throughput but is energy-intensive, hydrometallurgy facilitates selective recovery, supercritical and electrochemical routes offer cleaner options, and direct regeneration supports closed-loop circularity but requires scale-up. About digital and automation technologies, AI supports advanced diagnostics, robotics increases flexibility, digital twins facilitate predictive control, and digital product passports advance traceability but face governance and standardization challenges. Also, in the lifecycle assessment and techno-economic assessments domain, studies suggest that logistics and collection rates dominate cost and emission profiles, with siting optimization and automation driving measurable improvements. The synthesis of literature also identifies three future research directions: intelligent hybrid systems, information recovery systems, and resilient value networks which emphasize the need for digitally connected policy-aligned recycling infrastructures.