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 sector is asking itself more and more often: what happens when a high-voltage battery reaches end of life, or fails?

The figures speak for themselves: in the coming 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 risks.

This is where a plant designed specifically for this purpose comes in: a system that discharges and dismantles HV batteries in complete safety, minimising the risk of fire and returning material ready for the next stages of recycling.

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

How the discharge of a high-voltage lithium battery works

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

The plant 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 electrical grid the plant 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 dismantling, 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 dismantling: the table with a cooling tank

Once discharged, the automotive lithium battery is ready to be dismantled. But "safe" doesn't mean "harmless": a large high-voltage battery (often over 200 kg) can still hide pitfalls, first and foremost thermal runaway — the phenomenon whereby a lithium battery, in the event of a short circuit or overheating, can catch fire.

For this reason, the dismantling table is not a simple workbench: it's built on a structure suspended above a cooling tank. If the battery's temperature exceeds 68°C, the system automatically immerses it in water, nipping the fire risk in the bud.

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 structure is designed to work in parallel on multiple fronts: three independent stations allow several batteries to be dismantled 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 dismantling table with anti-fire cooling tank

Why this type of plant for automotive lithium batteries is becoming indispensable

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 dismantling is no longer a technical detail, but a genuine structural requirement for anyone working in this sector:

• 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 plant 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 offer for final contractual terms.

08/09/2026