EV & Battery Manufacturing worked example

Battery Scrap Cost at 72% unrecoverable scrap share: a worked example

Suppose unrecoverable scrap share falls to 72%. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Estimate scrap dollars from rejected cells, modules, or packs, unit cost, scrap share, and fixed containment cost.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Scrapped battery units: 380 cells/modules/packs (held at the documented default)
  • Cost per scrapped unit: 42 $ / unit (held at the documented default)
  • Unrecoverable scrap share: 72 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 100)
  • Fixed containment/disposal cost: 3,500 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Variable battery scrap cost = scrapped units × cost per unit × unrecoverable scrap share.
  • Total battery scrap cost works out to 14,991 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Scrap cost per affected unit works out to 39.45 $ / unit at these inputs.
  • Variable battery scrap cost works out to 11,491 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed containment/disposal cost works out to 3,500 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where unrecoverable scrap share sits at 100% and the headline result is 19,460 $, this scenario comes in 22.96% below the baseline at 14,991 $.
  • It computes the total dollar cost of scrapped battery units by combining variable scrap value lost with fixed containment and disposal charges. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Total battery scrap cost: 14,991 $ (headline result)
  • Scrap cost per affected unit: 39.45 $ / unit
  • Variable battery scrap cost: 11,491 $
  • Fixed containment/disposal cost: 3,500 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Battery Scrap Cost calculator, set unrecoverable scrap share to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.