--- title: "Jersey told to go electric but has nowhere to put dead batteries" url: https://www.nsfw.info/jersey-ev-battery-disposal-infrastructure-warning/ published: 2026-10-10T11:00:44+00:00 modified: 2026-10-10T11:00:44+00:00 author: "Chief Editor" categories: ["News"] image: https://www.nsfw.info/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/jersey-ev-battery-disposal-infrastructure-warning-1024x572.webp summary: "A Jersey vehicle recovery veteran with 40 years of experience warns the Island has no proper infrastructure for disposing of electric vehicle batteries, despite" publisher: NSFW (https://www.nsfw.info) --- # Jersey told to go electric but has nowhere to put dead batteries **In brief:** A Jersey vehicle recovery specialist with more than 40 years of experience has warned that the Island has no adequate infrastructure for disposing of electric vehicle batteries. Robin Ward says the Government of Jersey has repeatedly failed to act on the issue, despite actively encouraging islanders to switch to electric vehicles. ## A Problem Sparking Concern The issue has been brought into sharp focus following an islander’s account of their hybrid car catching fire and the subsequent difficulty in dealing with the written-off vehicle. Robin Ward, who has run a vehicle recovery business in Jersey for over four decades, told the Jersey Evening Post that damaged electric vehicle batteries present a serious and unresolved challenge for the Island. “The main problem is the batteries,” Mr Ward said. “The manufacturer may say that they’ll take the vehicle back, but that involves shipping it to the UK, which is very difficult. The ferry operator, DFDS, won’t take it, and the freight company has very tight restrictions.” Mr Ward explained that damaged batteries can re-ignite for up to 14 days after the initial incident and must be stored safely throughout that period. With no compliant local disposal route in place, that creates a significant practical and safety headache for recovery operators and vehicle owners alike. ## Government Pushing EVs While Infrastructure Lags Behind Mr Ward’s frustration is not new. He told the JEP that he has raised the problem with various parties over the years, most recently in a letter sent to former Infrastructure Minister Andy Jehan in September last year. He says he is still waiting for a solution. The irony is hard to miss. The Government of Jersey has been actively encouraging islanders to go electric and has signalled its intention to ban the importation of new petrol and diesel cars in the future. Yet, as Mr Ward points out, the Island already has batteries it cannot properly dispose of. “The government has been pushing for people to go electric and saying they’ll ban the importation of petrol and diesel cars in the future, but if everyone bought an EV, I don’t know how the Island would cope,” he said. “There are already loads of batteries here that can’t be disposed of.” In response to a query from the JEP, the government said it was “working with industry partners to establish a fully compliant long-term solution for end-of-life electric and hybrid vehicles.” The Infrastructure and Environment Department acknowledged that electric vehicle battery disposal is “a complex and highly regulated area that requires specialist handling, transport and processing arrangements.” Mr Ward said he was still awaiting confirmation of the detail of any scheme and warned that if the government intended to pass costs on to affected motorists, the resulting bills were likely to be significant. ## What Can Islanders Do Now? For the time being, islanders with an end-of-life electric or hybrid vehicle are advised by the government to contact climateemergency@gov.je for more information on disposal options. It is, perhaps, not the most reassuring answer for someone standing next to a smouldering battery that could reignite for another fortnight. But it is, for now, the official guidance. ## The NSFW Perspective There is something almost poetic about a government that spends considerable energy telling islanders to ditch their petrol cars, only to find itself unable to explain what happens to the electric ones when they go wrong. Mr Ward has been raising this issue for years, writing letters to ministers and, by his own account, hearing very little back. The government’s response, that it is “working with industry partners,” is the kind of phrase that sounds reassuring until you realise it contains no timeline, no detail and no commitment. Jersey is a small island with limited options for shipping hazardous materials. That is not a surprise to anyone who lives here. The surprise is that those charged with planning the Island’s green transport future appear not to have worked out the end-of-life problem before enthusiastically promoting the product. When the bill eventually lands, whether it falls on taxpayers or individual motorists, it would be reasonable to ask why nobody sorted this out sooner. *Source: [Jersey Evening Post](https://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/2026/10/10/recovery-specialist-shares-fresh-concerns-over-disposal-of-electric-vehicles)*