Drivers across Canada can now access free, responsible solutions for managing end-of-life batteries

The Electrified Vehicle (EV) Battery Recovery Program is now expanding across Canada following a two-year pilot project in Quebec.

The program is jointly led by the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association (CVMA), Global Automakers of Canada, and Call2Recycle Canada, a not-for-profit organization specializing in battery collection and recycling.

Funded by leading automakers, the initiative is designed to ensure that EV batteries are properly managed at the end of their life, minimizing environmental risks while maximizing the recovery of valuable materials.

The program is also raising public awareness about the long-term value of EV batteries.

“There’s a misconception sometimes that used EV batteries are not valuable,” said Brian Kingston, president and CEO of the CVMA, in an interview with Electric Autonomy.

“The reality is, they are very valuable. The materials in them can be reused, repurposed, and recycled. That’s a key part of moving to a more circular economy model in the EV space.”

Why go national?

The expansion of Canada’s EV Battery Recovery Program builds on the success of a pilot project launched in Quebec in 2023. The expansion is designed to close gaps in how EV batteries are managed at the end of their life and to ensure that all batteries are handled safely, sustainably and efficiently.

Currently in Canada, many EV batteries are collected through manufacturer-run programs when they are under warranty, recalled, or deemed suitable for remanufacturing. The vehicle dismantling and recycling industries also have systems in place to remove and repurpose batteries or pass them on to other processors.

However, these programs don’t always cover batteries that fall outside those defined scopes.

The national program is designed to fill that gap.

“What this national expansion does is it’s just increasing awareness and accessibility to more responsible EV battery management options for eligible EV battery holders,” explains Jon McQuaid, VP of marketing and communications at Call2Recycle, in an interview with Electric Autonomy.

“This program further supports this developing new sustainable EV battery management ecosystem in Canada. It will provide more data and information and data points on EV battery end-of-life trends that will help the future of this country.”

The Quebec pilot revealed two key insights. The first is that existing recovery systems are already functioning effectively.

“[The Quebec pilot showed that] the risk of batteries falling outside of the traditional recycling system is relatively low,” Kingston added. “But this program acts as a backstop. It makes sure that everything is ultimately accounted for and returned to the recycling system.”

Another important learning from the pilot was the benefit of formalizing relationships between manufacturers and recyclers.

“It’s just been extremely helpful from a manufacturer perspective, in terms of dealing with recyclers, creating some of those connections and relationships and making sure that we have a process in place,” said Kingston.

“This is a whole new space for the industry.”

How program works

In 2024 alone, Call2Recycle picked up more than 3,000 EV batteries and continues to scale its operations through expanding partnerships.

Now, accessing the EV Battery Recovery Program can be done through an online platform created by Call2Recycle.

The process to access the EV Battery Recovery Program involves three steps:

1. Eligibility check: Is the EV battery originally installed by a participating vehicle manufacturer? Has the battery not been modified, remanufactured or repurposed?
2. Battery Identification: Users provide details like the vehicle make, battery size and weight, and whether the battery is end-of-life or damaged
3. Pickup Coordination – Once the battery is approved, a request is submitted through the platform to a logistics service provider and Call2Recycle comes to package the EV batteries. It safely transports them to processing partners across Canada.

The program serves a wide range of users including auto dismantlers, recyclers, shredders, independent garages, independent dealerships, fleet operators, and individual EV owners.

The list of participants in the program includes 16 automakers.

Collected batteries are either repurposed, remanufactured, or recycled.