Breaking Even and Beyond: Water Reuse at EV Battery Facilities

Automakers are partnering with electric vehicle (EV) battery technology providers to build new lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery manufacturing facilities which can impose substantial demands on local water and wastewater infrastructure capacity to support production activities. Gresham Smith conducted a 2022 study, in conjunction with the design of a new facility, to evaluate the financial feasibility and environmental impacts of implementing water reuse of the industrial wastewater produced by EV battery facilities. Multiple reuse options were evaluated, including reuse of cooling tower blowdown, RO concentrate, condensate and stormwater. The most optimal water reuse strategy for the facility studied consisted of a rooftop stormwater collection system and reuse for cooling tower make-up demand offset. This study establishes a methodology for calculating direct and indirect costs for implementation of reuse options at EV battery facilities and other industrial facilities to help achieve sustainability goals and reduce demands on local water and wastewater utilities.