There is lot of hype around battery recycling, like claims: EV batteries are now more than 99% recyclable

https://electrek.co/2025/10/28/forget-the-myths-ev-batteries...

The information from scientific literature is much more realistic.

"All the current recycling methods of lithium-ion batteries have advantages and disadvantages concerning environmental impact, efficiency, and economic viability. However, a significant gap exists between academic research and industrial application. Researchers, policymakers, manufacturers, and recyclers should focus on greener methods with high recovery rates, low emissions, and minimal waste towards zero emissions. "

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037877532...

Bateries last about 15 years.

https://powerlinkenergy.com/news/expected-lifespan-of-batter...

Solar panels last for decades, solar inverter shorter.

"Generally, the average solar inverter lifespan is 10 to 15 years for standard string inverters, and 20 to 25 years for microinverters"

https://www.solaxpower.com/blogs/how-long-do-solar-inverters...

Everything you wrote is plain obvious to anyone who looked into the topic. But come on, we don't have to change anything about our consumption because we'll eventually reach some solar punk utopia? That's the comment I was replying to.

Nothing for now tells us we can power our current needs with renewables only, however we know we can drive around in much lighter vehicles, fly much less, eat more local, buy less clothes, use compute for less stupid things in data centers.

Imagine if all the vehicles that run of fossil fules is converted into EV. What are the incentives in place to properly recycle the batteries? Does a new battery technology go into production before the technology to recycle it is production grade/economically viable? What happens when we are getting like a million EV batteries, globally per day, to dispose off? What happens when these batteries use vastly different chemical composition (because they are from various stages of battery evolution) and need vastly different methods to process? What happens when these things pile up and poison the land? dumped in ocean or rivers? burned up releasing god-knows-what into air?

How long before the regulation (often times toothless) kicks in to handle these things?

I am all for getting rid of pollution, but there should be some caution in rushing onto new things, which is exactly what got us into this mess in the first place.