RSE - The great battery bust up: Repair or throw-away

How electric vehicle batteries are built, where their materials come from and what happens when they fail

Electric vehicles are an increasingly familiar sight on our roads, helping us move away from fossil fuels. But what happens when these batteries start to fail?

These vehicles are powered by lithium-ion battery packs made up of many individual battery cells. However, in many current designs, if a small number of cells fail, it can be hard to repair the battery pack by simply replacing the affected parts.

So, what does this mean for the environment?

In this hands-on Curious workshop, explore what electric vehicle batteries are made from, where those materials come from, and how better battery design could make repair and reuse easier in the future.