Can I scrap my electric car?

24th Oct, 2023

This is a question we’ve been hearing increasingly often over the past few years here at Scrap Car Network., especially with the rising presence of electric cars on our roads. The good news is that yes, you can scrap your electric car – but only with an Authorised Treatment Facility, as it takes special training and equipment to get the job done safely and effectively,

Happily, that’s exactly where we can help here at Scrap Car Network. With more than 40 years of experience behind us, we know exactly how to connect you with your nearest ATF, so that you can enjoy the best price for your car, along with peace of mind that it’s being properly recycled.

Now, it’s true that while electric cars can be scrapped, there’s no denying that they can be a little more tricky to process than their ICE (internal combustion engine) counterparts. Here are some of the main reasons why!

Why are electric cars harder to scrap?

You don’t need to be an expert to know that electric cars (and even some hybrids) present several major design changes from regular combustion engine vehicles. That, in turn, gives rise to several new challenges.

Electrical components

By nature, electric cars use fewer moving components than internal combustion engines. While this makes them more reliable (in theory at least), it does mean that they can’t be broken down as easily into their separate component parts. Big mechanical systems like drivetrains are relatively easy to process, whereas electrical components are notoriously difficult to recycle.

That’s not to say that everything in the car is unsalvageable though. The tyres, interior, and bodywork are all amongst the elements that can be recycled. And of course, there’s the battery. Speaking of which…

Batteries

Without question, the main reason why electric cars are so difficult to scrap is the batteries they use, which are typically made of lithium. Staff at recycling facilities have to be carefully trained in order to protect them from the risks of working with batteries.

First and foremost amongst those risks is something you’ll have probably guessed yourself – electrocution. Most electric cars operate with at least 400 volts. Even 10% of that can prove to be fatal – humans have been known to die from exposure to as little as roughly 40 volts.

To compound the danger, the materials in these batteries make them highly reactive. They present potential flammable or explosive risks when they’re improperly stored, and they can prove directly harmful to the environment too.

Magnets

Here’s a risk that’s often underestimated. Within the motors themselves, there are significant numbers of powerful magnets, with a pull strong enough to potentially rip tools and equipment from their owners’ pockets. This poses an obvious risk to any mechanics working on them, many of whom are often laden down with several small tools at any given moment. What’s more though, these magnets can also pose an additional interference risk for medical fittings like pacemakers.

What do I need to do to avoid the risks?

Well, that’s the good news – you don’t really have to do anything at all! As we touched on above, the only main thing you need to concern yourself with is to ensure that you get your electric car scrapped at a properly licensed Authorised Treatment Facility – and happily, that’s exactly where we can help here at Scrap Car Network.

We’re committed to helping you get the very best price when you scrap your car, and we like to make things as easy and straightforward for you as possible. All you need to do is enter your car reg and postcode into the fields on our site, and we’ll get you an instant online quote before you can say cash for cars. It only takes a few seconds. Curious to find out how much your car is worth?