The shift to electric mobility is creating a new question for the country: what happens to batteries once they are no longer strong enough to power vehicles? For now, the issue is still emerging. Most electric vehicles and motorcycles on Rwanda’s roads are relatively new, meaning few batteries have reached the point where they can no longer be used in vehicles. However, some batteries are already losing capacity, and companies are finding ways to extend their usefulness, including storing electricity and powering lights in hospitals and hotels. Research into recycling options is also under way. ALSO READ: EV batteries will be managed to prevent environmental harm – Minister Gasore One approach is to treat a weakened battery less like waste and more like a power bank. Alemoh Emmanuel Bolorunduro of Spiro Rwanda said batteries that become too weak for normal motorcycle use can be charged when electricity is available and later used to charge batteries that remain in circulation. “We collect the weak batteries and use them to store energy when electricity is available. When there is no electricity, we use that stored energy to charge the batteries that are still active,” he said. This also opens up opportunities beyond Rwanda, where electricity supply is relatively stable. “Because Rwanda has a relatively stable electricity supply, we can move some of those batteries to countries where electricity is less reliable and use them as power banks,” Bolorunduro said. Spiro says its motorcycle batteries can be used for up to six years. The scale of the challenge is expected to grow as the electric mobility market matures. However, companies whose fleets are still relatively young have yet to see significant numbers of batteries reaching the end of their first life. Iliiza Karangwa, Head of Marketing and Partnerships at Kabisa, said the company has not yet recorded batteries reaching end-of-life through normal ageing. “EV batteries are generally designed for long service lives, typically around 10 to 15 years, depending on factors such as usage, charging patterns, battery chemistry and operating conditions,” she said. A battery’s life does not necessarily end when it leaves a vehicle. “Depending on their condition, batteries and their cells can be repaired, refurbished or repurposed for second-life uses such as stationary energy storage, as well as educational and technical training purposes, before recycling becomes necessary,” Karangwa said. Some batteries in Rwanda have already reached the second-life stage. Donald Kabanda, CEO of Rwanda Electric Motors (REM), said the company has collected about 500 batteries whose capacity has fallen too low for use in electric vehicles. ALSO READ: How govt, companies and banks are driving EV uptake “They have reduced capacity and are no longer suitable for use in EVs, but they can still be used for other purposes, such as lighting,” he said. The next challenge is determining what can be done with batteries that have lost too much capacity even for such applications. SLS Energy is working on both sides of that equation, extending the useful life of batteries and researching what comes next. Leandre Berwa, CEO of SLS Energy, said the company started operations in 2023 after conducting research into battery reuse since 2021. He said SLS works with local companies, including Ampersand and REM, as well as regional electric mobility firms such as Zembo in Uganda. “We take batteries whose capacity has declined and repair them for use in lighting institutions such as hospitals and hotels,” Berwa said. The company is also researching recycling options for batteries that can no longer be put to productive use. Berwa said SLS is conducting the research with the University of Rwanda and Mount Meru University. The work is expected to help establish recycling solutions as the volume of ageing batteries increases. “We hope the research will be completed once the volumes are sufficient to support recycling,” he said. SLS currently has the capacity to produce about 500 kilowatt-hours of energy storage systems per month, equivalent to around 300 motorcycle batteries, according to Berwa. However, scaling up the industry will require more batteries, suitable working space and the necessary licences. SLS operates in the Kigali Special Economic Zone, although Berwa said limitations related to its operating space have made it difficult to obtain some licences. ALSO READ: KUSANYA: National campaign to collect e-waste launched Despite several attempts to obtain Enviroserve’s views on its plans for collecting, managing and recycling ageing EV batteries in Rwanda, the company had not responded by the time of publication. Enviroserve Rwanda Green Park is a private company specialising in electronic and electrical waste recycling, green growth and the circular economy. According to figures published on its website, the company has since 2018 refurbished 32,226 computers, collected 8,520 tonnes of e-waste and dismantled 8,520 tonnes. However, the figures do not specifically indicate how many EV batteries the company has collected, dismantled or recycled.
