LOCAL car battery brand Motolite sees the growing popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) as both a threat and an opportunity amid the lack of recycling technology for used batteries.
Alexander M. Osias, marketing head of Oriental & Motolite Marketing Corp., told reporters in Makati City last week that the recycling technology for EV batteries has yet to be developed, posing a potential environmental and safety concern.
“Any technology shift is a potential threat,” Mr. Osias said. “We are looking into lithium and one of our concerns is that the recycling technologies are still being developed. I don’t think we will see the same level of recycling that we can see with lead-acid batteries.”
He said EV batteries “would just be thrown away, which is a potential hazard also for us.”
EVs typically use lithium-ion batteries that are manufactured using minerals such as cobalt, nickel, graphite, and manganese. The Philippine government has been pushing for more investments in mineral processing to support and expand the local EV industry, citing the country’s vast mineral resources.
However, Mr. Osias said the surge in EVs is also an opportunity for Motolite once the recycling technology for lithium batteries has matured.
“We are looking at it also because if it becomes [a] big enough shift, it’s something that we have to prepare for. We’ve been looking at it,” Mr. Osias said.
“Our philosophy is if it is a proven technology and it can be shown that it is better for the environment, it’s not something that we would stand in the way of,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mr. Osias said that investing in the commercial production of EV batteries could “easily reach a billion pesos” if there is a strong demand.
“If you go into small pilot or testing, you can keep it in the millions [of pesos],” he said.
“If it becomes commercial and the demand is there, you go big because you can also see a better return [since] the workers and the resources are more optimized,” he added.
Motolite is a local manufacturer of lead-acid car batteries. The company also offers different battery products for industrial, commercial, and marine use. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
