EV Battery Management: NJIT to Map Infrastructure for First State Law

New Jersey is poised to become the first US state with a fully operational system for managing retired electric vehicle batteries, thanks to a new research initiative led by the New Jersey Institute of Technology. The project, funded by a $1.2 million grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, will deliver the first comprehensive assessment of the infrastructure needed to enforce the state’s Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Battery Management Act — the nation’s first law to require battery producers to take responsibility for their products at end of life.

“This study bridges the gap between policy creation and practical execution before millions of EV batteries reach end-of-life,” said Kevin Belfield, distinguished professor of chemistry and dean of NJIT’s Jordan Hu College of Sciences and Liberal Arts, who will co-lead the effort with Zeyuan Qiu, professor of environmental science. The team will map collection, storage, dismantling, repurposing, and recycling facilities across the state and the Northeast, identifying where New Jersey has the biggest gaps in its current waste management system.

The urgency is clear: by 2030, up to 12 million metric tons of EV and hybrid batteries will reach the end of their first useful life globally each year, according to industry estimates. In the US alone, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory projects 33 million electric vehicles on roads by 2030. Lithium-ion batteries contain valuable critical minerals like cobalt and nickel, but they also pose serious fire hazards and environmental risks when damaged or improperly handled. Recent battery-related fires at waste facilities in New Jersey — including a two-alarm fire at the EMR Scrap Metal Junkyard in Camden earlier this year — have underscored the need for specialized handling protocols.

Qiu, a fellow of the Soil and Water Conservation Society, emphasized that the analysis will also assess potential impacts on overburdened communities under the state’s Environmental Justice Law. “Despite the significant economic potential and national security interest in critical minerals, EV battery material recovery, recycling and reuse should be done responsibly to protect New Jersey communities and the soil, water, air and other natural resources around them,” he said.

The project brings together a coalition of stakeholders from academia, industry, government, nonprofits, and community organizations. The team will host statewide workshops and create an interactive online mapping platform to allow residents to explore where battery-management facilities are located or could be developed, and how those sites relate to community demographics. According to Belfield, the goal is to “provide New Jersey an operational roadmap while offering other states a national model.”

The study also integrates hands-on learning for NJIT students. Graduate and undergraduate researchers will contribute through coursework and fieldwork, gaining experience in a rapidly growing field at the intersection of environmental science, engineering, and public policy. The work extends a previous NSF-supported initiative to embed circular economy principles into graduate education.

By the end of 2027, the team will deliver a statewide needs assessment and recommendations for implementing the battery management law. Belfield envisions a future where “zero EV batteries end up in standard scrap yards or landfills,” with New Jersey serving as a replicable template for other states. “In five to 10 years, we see success as a seamless circular battery economy,” he said.

The New Jersey law, signed in January 2024, is the first in the nation to mandate extended producer responsibility for EV batteries. While similar laws exist for electronics and household batteries, the scale and complexity of vehicle batteries require a dedicated infrastructure. Several other states, including California and New York, are watching New Jersey’s progress closely, according to industry sources. The NJIT study is expected to inform regulatory frameworks nationwide.

As the electric vehicle market accelerates, the challenge of managing end-of-life batteries is becoming a critical environmental and safety issue. The NJIT-led roadmap aims to turn that challenge into an economic opportunity, creating new jobs in battery collection, dismantling, and recycling while reducing reliance on imported critical minerals.