Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) play a significant role in our highly electrified world and will continue to lead technology innovations. Millions of vehicles are equipped with or directly powered by LIBs, mitigating environmental pollution and reducing energy use. This rapidly increasing use of LIBs in vehicles will introduce a large quantity of spent LIBs within an 8–10-year span. Proper handling of end-of-life (EOL) vehicle LIBs is required, and multiple options should be considered. This paper demonstrates that the necessity for EOL recycling is underpinned by leveraging fluctuating material costs, uneven distribution and production, and the transport situation. From a life-cycle perspective, remanufacturing and repurposing extend the life of LIBs, and industrial demonstrations indicate that this is feasible. Recycling is the ultimate option for handling EOL LIBs, and recent advancements both in research and industry regarding pyrometallurgical, hydrometallurgical, and direct recycling are summarized. Currently, none of the current battery recycling technologies is ideal, and challenges must be overcome. This article is anticipated as a starting point for a more sophisticated study of recycling, and it suggests potential improvements in the process through mutual efforts from academia, industry, and governments.

锂离子电池（LIB）在高度电气化的世界中发挥着重要作用，并将继续引领技术创新。数百万辆汽车配备了LIB或直接由LIB供电，从而减轻了环境污染并减少了能源消耗。车辆中LIB的快速增长将在8-10年的时间范围内引入大量用过的LIB。需要正确处理报废（EOL）车辆LIB，并且应考虑多种选择。本文表明，利用波动的材料成本，不平衡的分配和生产以及运输状况，可以支持EOL回收的必要性。从生命周期的角度来看，重新制造和用途改变了LIB的寿命，工业演示表明这是可行的。回收是处理EOL LIB的最终选择，并且总结了在火法冶金，湿法冶金和直接回收方面在研究和工业上的最新进展。当前，当前没有一种理想的电池回收技术，必须克服挑战。可以将本文作为更复杂的回收研究的起点，并建议在学术界，行业和政府的共同努力下，该过程可能会有所改进。