Strategies for promoting consumer participation in the collection of retired electric vehicle batteries

Abstract

As leading countries in the battery market implement regulations on electric vehicle battery recycling and reuse, value chains for these processes are being developed. In particular, the operation of recycling and reuse businesses begins with the collection of electric vehicle batteries, which is currently left to the free market. This study explored the design of electric vehicle battery collection programs, focusing on the growing number of retired electric vehicle batteries. A choice experiment was conducted to analyze consumer preferences for six program attributes: return method, program operator, obligatory contract, information provision, battery usage period, and reward. This study found that consumers have a strong preference for programs that provide a pickup service and information regarding the programs and emissions reduction from recycling and reusing electric vehicle batteries. Notably, respondents were willing to accept lower rewards for a pickup service (USD 0.571/kWh) and for information provision (USD 0.649/kWh). This study offers practical implications for companies seeking to develop profitable battery collection programs. The findings also provide valuable insights for designing such programs and enhancing consumer participation in the battery collection.