End-of-life automotive lithium batteries: how to safely dismantle and discharge electric vehicle batteries

Electric and hybrid vehicles are changing our roads, but behind the scenes there's a question the recycling industry is asking itself more and more often: what happens when a high-voltage battery reaches the end of its life, or fails?

The numbers speak for themselves: over the next few years, the volume of automotive lithium HV battery packs to be processed across Europe is set to grow substantially, in step with the electric vehicles sold over the last 10-15 years. For recycling and waste treatment plants, this points to a single goal: equipping themselves with solutions capable of safely handling growing volumes of lithium batteries from electric and hybrid vehicles, without slowing down the workflow and without taking on risk.

That's where a system engineered specifically for this purpose comes in: a plant that discharges and disassembles HV batteries in complete safety, minimizing fire risk and returning material ready for the next stages of recycling.

System for the treatment and discharge of lithium HV batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles

How discharging a high-voltage lithium battery works

Before a battery at end of life can even be disassembled, there's a mandatory step: bringing it down to 0 volts. A charged HV battery, in fact, remains a potentially hazardous component until it has been fully discharged.

The system handles exactly this task, using a high-power electronic load (1000 Vdc / 80 A) that discharges the battery in a controlled way. But what's really interesting is how it does it:

• Three independent stations: each discharge table operates independently of the others, so multiple batteries can be processed in parallel without one cycle affecting the others.
• Energy recovered, not wasted: the energy discharged from the battery isn't lost, but fed back into the power grid the system is connected to.
• Constant thermal monitoring: an infrared thermal camera monitors temperature at 6 different points. If the set safety threshold is exceeded, the system automatically stops the process.
• No risk of human error on the connections: if the cables are connected with reversed polarity, a dedicated check prevents the switch that connects the load to the battery from activating.
• Double safety check: before a battery is considered ready for disassembly, the system automatically verifies that it has indeed reached 0 volts.
• Everything logged: every discharge is recorded in a report (CSV and PDF), matched to the battery's serial number, to ensure full traceability of the process.

All of this is managed from a simple 10" touchscreen terminal, from which the operator sets the discharge current and monitors the entire process in real time.

Discharge control screen: voltage, current, and energy discharged in real time

Real-time thermal monitoring via infrared thermal camera, 6 measurement points

Safe disassembly: the table with a cooling tank

Once discharged, the automotive lithium battery is ready to be disassembled. But "safe" doesn't mean "harmless": a large high-voltage battery (often over 440 lbs) can still hide hazards, first and foremost thermal runaway — the phenomenon where a lithium battery, in the event of a short circuit or overheating, can catch fire.

For this reason, the disassembly table isn't just a workbench: it's built on a frame suspended above a cooling tank. If the battery's temperature exceeds 154°F, the system automatically drops it into water, stopping the fire risk before it can start.

Release into the tank can happen in two ways:

• manually, via an emergency control operated by the operator;
• automatically, via thermal fuses, a CO₂ activation system, and, if required, dedicated thermal camera monitoring.

Here too, the frame is designed to work in parallel on multiple fronts: three independent stations allow several batteries to be disassembled at the same time, without the cycles getting in each other's way. And once a faulty battery has triggered the safety system, the table can be moved and stored outside in complete safety, pending removal.

HV battery disassembly table with anti-fire cooling tank

Why this type of system for automotive lithium batteries is becoming a must-have

As the number of electric and hybrid vehicles reaching end of life grows year after year, recycling plants will have to handle ever-increasing volumes of HV batteries. Having a dedicated line for safe discharge and disassembly is no longer just a technical detail — it's become a genuine structural requirement for anyone working in this industry:

• Safety first, thanks to dual temperature and voltage control
• Less downtime, thanks to independent stations working in parallel
• Full traceability of every battery processed, from serial number to final report
• Flexibility, with a wide range of options (positioning and lifting tables, thermal monitoring, integration with existing recycling lines)

A system designed to grow alongside the automotive lithium battery treatment and recycling market, with no compromise on safety and efficiency.

End-of-life automotive lithium HV battery packs ready for recycling treatment

Reference technical document: Stokkermill S.r.l. Technical and performance data are indicative and may vary depending on conditions of use; please refer to the relevant commercial quote for final contractual terms.

09/08/2026