Nissan to Build Battery Recycling Plant in Former Radioactive Zone

Nissan has announced its plans to build a new plant for recycling batteries for its Leaf electric vehicle. Though nothing from this statement may sound surprising, the intended location of the plant is what may come as a shock to many: the former radioactive no-go zone after the 2011 earthquake-tsunami that caused multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear plant nearby.

Before people express any worry, it’s worth mentioning that the government has already decontaminated the area and reopened it last March 2017. A handful of companies have already announced their plans to set up shop in the area along with Nissan, even though the area is still largely considered to be a ghost town devoid of human activity.

Unlike Chernobyl in Ukraine however, which will be uninhabitable for 20,000 years, the Fukushima locale was mainly exposed to isotopes with a short lifespan, and with the extensive cleanup done by the government, the area is now safe for prolonged human stay. Namie, the Fukushima neighborhood where Nissan will build its plant, has now seen 516 residents return to their homes.

The Namie factory will be Nissan’s hub for its new program that allows Leaf owners to trade their degraded EV battery for a refurbished one, which will cost less than half of its brand new counterpart. By making their replacement battery affordable, Nissan hopes to halt the significant drop in residual value of its flagship electric vehicle, which is a major turnoff for both first-time and second-hand buyers. Nissan said that the move is a test of sorts, and if it works in Japan, they will study the feasibility of introducing it to other global markets, including the US.

The recycling plant will be managed by 4R Energy Corp., the battery-recycling joint venture that Nissan forged with Sumitomo Corp. The plant targets to refurbish up to 2,250 batteries a year, but will start off with just 360 on its initial outing.

Asked about the concerns raised by consumers about buying batteries from the plant, 4R Energy head Eiji Makino assured that background radiation levels in the area are no worse than those in big cities. Makino said that they will further allay fears by publicizing the area’s latest radiation readings.