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What are electric car batteries made of?
I know that electric cars and gas-powered cars are similar in a lot of ways, except for that electric cars are powered by a battery. But what are electric car batteries made of? And are they different from the batteries in normal vehicles?
Jason Crosby · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Your hunch is correct, electric vehicle batteries are different from a traditional, gas-powered vehicle. EVs use lithium-ion batteries, which are somewhat similar to the battery you’ll find in your laptop, cellphone, and many other types of electronics—just a lot bigger and more complex.
Electric car batteries are composed of lithium-ion cells, and are even larger and heavier than the batteries in gas-powered vehicles; after all, they have to generate enough energy to move an entire car.
Though there is the risk of a lithium-ion battery exploding or working improperly if you tamper with it yourself, batteries from both hybrid and fully electric cars
can be recycled
. If you own an EV and your car’s lithium-ion battery is on the fritz, you can recycle with Home Depot’s non-profit battery recycling program.
There’s also another organization, Battery Recyclers of America, who will pay per pound for your EV’s battery. It’s important to dispose of your EV battery properly—with the amount of heavy metals they contain and their potential for explosions if knocked around too much, it’s best to find an
authorized recycler
or disposal facility that you can hand it off to. Even though
Jerry
can’t help you recycle your electric car’s lithium-ion battery, we can help you save potentially hundreds annually on your EV insurance. Surf great rates now, and find great deals every six months so you never end up paying more than you should to insure your EV. View full answer
- Gregory R.
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