In a small Niu electric bike store near Ciqikou in Beijing's Dongcheng District, customers have been coming and going frequently these days. With the indoor heating turned up high, a thin layer of condensation forms on the glass door. "We recycle electric bike batteries, either the whole vehicle or just the lithium battery," a staff member said while pointing to a new flyer on the counter. The number of electric bikes in Beijing has surged from over 800,000 in 2008 to more than 7 million by 2025, making battery recycling a significant challenge.
On November 27, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology released the first batch of 74 lithium-ion battery recycling service points for electric bikes, aiming to strengthen citywide management of electric bikes and establish a safe, convenient, and reliable waste battery recycling system.
Meanwhile, new energy vehicles (NEVs) have become a common sight on Beijing's streets, symbolizing the city's green mobility push. As a pioneer in NEV adoption, Beijing had 1.2 million NEVs by October 2025. With some NEV batteries reaching the end of their lifespan, the question of how to repurpose retired power batteries has gained attention. Beijing's 15th Five-Year Plan emphasizes improving solid waste and new pollutant management, refining the power battery recycling system, and building a "zero-waste city."
Following the announcement, reporters visited four designated recycling points, all confirming they now accept electric bike batteries or offer trade-in services. "We buy used electric bikes starting at 100 yuan, up to 500 yuan, or just the lithium battery," explained a staff member at a Ciqikou recycling point. Prices depend on the vehicle's age, mileage, and condition, with immediate payment after assessment.
Three companies—Beijing Yidianbao Technology, Beijing Dingyuan Huifeng Environmental Technology, and Beijing Zeyou Renewable Technology—are responsible for recycling in Chaoyang District. Dingyuan Huifeng's representative, Mr. Zhang, noted that collected batteries undergo pre-treatment, including discharge, before being sent to partner firms outside Beijing for proper recycling.
Zeyou Renewable's Mr. Cheng stated that lithium batteries are bought at 2 yuan per kilogram, while whole bikes fetch around 100 yuan if near报废, or several hundred yuan for well-maintained models. "Collected batteries are stored safely before being transported for compliant recycling," he added.
Beijing's updated Non-Motor Vehicle Management Regulations, effective May 1, 2026, mandate safety assessments for electric bike batteries older than five years. Those failing must be decommissioned. An Guangyong, an expert, praised the move for clarifying producer and consumer responsibilities and shifting focus from post-incident remedies to preventive, full-cycle oversight.
From January to July 2025, six recycling entities collected about 17,000 waste lithium batteries (136 tons), all sent for proper disposal. Beijing is also piloting centralized storage and transfer points in Changping District and collaborating with Tianjin and Hebei on regional recycling mechanisms.
For NEV batteries, retired power packs are disassembled into modules and then individual cells. Healthy cells are repurposed for low-speed EVs, streetlights, or delivery bikes, while degraded ones are broken down to extract metals like nickel, cobalt, and lithium for reuse in new batteries.
Despite a booming market—China's 2024 battery recycling volume exceeded 300,000 tons, with a market size surpassing 48 billion yuan—many licensed recyclers face underutilized capacity due to competition from informal operators. Regulatory gaps, inconsistent standards, and lack of unified technical requirements for recycled materials further complicate the sector.
Consumers like Ms. Wang, who recently scrapped her 10-year-old BAIC EV160, support formal recycling if made convenient. "An app for scheduling pickups with fair valuations would help," she said. Beijing's 2025 auto trade-in policy offers subsidies up to 20,000 yuan for NEV purchases, incentivizing proper disposal.
Industry experts stress innovation and digitalization, such as blockchain-based lifecycle tracking, to enhance efficiency. As Beijing's NEV wave matures, the city's battery recycling industry is evolving into a critical link in the green economy, defining urban sustainability for the future.
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