EV Battery Myths vs Facts: What NZ Drivers Really Need to Know
As electric vehicles grow in popularity across New Zealand, questions around EV battery safety, sustainability, and ethics continue to spark passionate debate. At The Electric Motor Vehicle Company (EMVC), we’re committed to cutting through the noise — so here’s what’s fact, what’s fiction, and what it means for Kiwi drivers.
🚫 Fiction: EV Batteries Will Create a Waste Mountain
Despite fearmongering, EV batteries are not destined for landfill. New Zealand’s Battery Industry Group (BIG) is developing a government-backed product stewardship scheme that tracks batteries from import through second-life reuse and eventual recycling.
Take the Nissan Leaf for example: after 10–12 years of use, its battery can still be used to power homes, EV chargers, or local energy grids. Counties Power is already trialing these “second-life” solutions to store power and improve reliability in rural areas.
🔁 Fiction: EV Batteries Can’t Be Recycled
EV batteries are 100% recyclable — the challenge is economics and efficiency. Traditional methods are energy-intensive and polluting, but research is underway to improve recycling tech. Local firms like Metalman aim to offer clean, cost-effective recycling across NZ soon.
A proposed fee at the point of import would fund recycling infrastructure and education. Battery circularity is already in motion — not an afterthought.
☣️ Fact: EV Batteries Contain Toxic Materials
Just like smartphones and laptops, EV batteries contain metals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel — all of which can be toxic. But the EV industry is rapidly moving toward safer, cleaner chemistry.
Dr Peng Cao from the MacDiarmid Institute confirms that new battery tech is reducing toxicity and cost. A Wellington startup, TasmanION, is even developing aluminium-based batteries — abundant, cheaper, and less toxic.
👶🏽 Fact: Children Mine Cobalt (and Much More)
This is sadly true — around 40,000 children work in dangerous mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, often to extract cobalt. But it’s not just an EV problem. Cobalt is also used in:
- Oil refining
- Jet engines and prosthetics
- Smartphones and laptops
The EV industry is actively phasing out cobalt, and working to clean up the supply chain. In contrast, fossil fuel industries have no comparable accountability.
🔥 Fiction: EVs Emit More CO₂ Than Petrol Cars
Multiple independent lifecycle assessments confirm that while EVs require more energy to manufacture, they more than offset this through low-emission operation.
In New Zealand, where over 80% of electricity is renewable, most EVs reach carbon parity with petrol cars in under two years — sooner for smaller models.
🪨 Fiction: EVs Are Pointless if the Grid Uses Coal
Even in coal-powered grids, EVs are still more efficient. That’s because:
- Petrol cars convert less than 30% of fuel into wheel power
- EVs convert about 80% of electricity into motion
As the grid becomes greener, the advantage only grows. In NZ’s mostly-renewable system, EVs are a clear environmental win.
🤔 So, What Should Ethical Drivers Do?
No vehicle is impact-free. But choosing EVs is about doing less harm while improving air quality, reducing carbon, and gaining energy independence.
Before judging EV batteries, consider the true cost of oil — wars, pollution, corruption, and the climate crisis. If we don’t reduce transport emissions, we risk:
- 3+ degrees of warming by 2100
- Flooded cities, drought, famine, and ecosystem collapse
- Worsening economic instability
⚡ Why EMVC Supports the Switch to Electric
At EMVC, we’re focused on helping Southlanders and all Kiwis make smart, informed choices — whether that’s a new EV, a hybrid, or advice on battery care. We believe that mobility can be ethical, efficient, and electric.
Ready to learn more? Contact our team or visit our EV advice hub.