On April 9, 2025, a lithium battery recycling plant in Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, became the scene of a serious fire—again. Just twelve months after a similar incident, the facility was once more engulfed in flames, highlighting the ongoing risks tied to the end-of-life handling of electric vehicle batteries.
It’s not the first time residents around Byrehill Place have witnessed plumes of smoke rising from the plant. The previous fire, in April 2024, had already stretched emergency services to the limit, requiring around 40 firefighters and two full nights of operations to extinguish. This year’s blaze demanded 10 fire engines and kept emergency personnel on site well into the next day, continuously monitoring hot spots and dampening residual heat.
What’s really burning here?
It’s easy to forget that the heart of an electric vehicle (EV) is its battery. These high-capacity lithium-ion units store and release vast amounts of energy, and managing their thermal stability is a fine balance. When this balance is disrupted—either by external damage, internal degradation, or improper storage—fires can occur. And unlike regular combustion engine fires, EV battery fires are far more complex to control. They can reignite hours or even days after first being put out, sometimes without warning.
While the fire in Kilwinning didn’t result in any injuries, the nearby community had to be evacuated as a safety measure. Police enforced road closures, and residents were instructed to keep their doors and windows shut upon return. Local authorities also urged them to avoid touching or collecting any debris from the incident due to potential chemical hazards. Understandably, for those living next to the plant, this repetition of events has raised alarms—not just about safety, but about the long-term environmental impact of such fires.
The risk of proximity and the reality of recycling
There’s something unsettling about having a battery recycling facility in the middle of a residential area. Yes, there’s a need to recycle EV batteries responsibly. But the proximity of such plants to homes, schools, and workplaces poses a real dilemma. These facilities handle materials that are chemically volatile. Even when not powering a vehicle, lithium batteries can explode under the wrong conditions. If they’re damaged, overcharged, or exposed to heat, the internal chemistry can go rogue.
To complicate matters, back in September 2024, the local environmental agency had revoked the facility’s waste management license. The plant was ordered to remove non-compliant waste and fix the damages left by the first fire. It was also required to introduce proper fire prevention and mitigation strategies. Clearly, these mandates were either not fulfilled or not effective enough. The result? Another fire, more disruption, and even more questions.
How does this affect the future of EVs?
Every time an EV or a battery facility catches fire, it generates a wave of coverage. It’s easy to see why. The sight of a fire fed by modern technology can be both symbolic and alarming. And in the world of social media, these images travel fast. While such incidents are still statistically rare, the impact on public perception is outsized. It casts a shadow on the push toward electrification, even though the real issue may lie not with the vehicles themselves but with how we manage their batteries after use.
Recycling these components isn’t straightforward. Batteries contain cobalt, nickel, and lithium—materials that are expensive to extract and difficult to handle at the end of their lifecycle. The risk of fire isn’t the only problem. There’s the danger of soil and water contamination if recycling isn’t done correctly, and the process itself is far from energy-neutral. That makes facilities like the one in Kilwinning both necessary and problematic.
What now?
This second fire should be a wake-up call. Not just for the recycling industry, but for everyone involved in the EV ecosystem—from manufacturers to regulators. There’s no doubt electric vehicles are here to stay. But the infrastructure supporting them—especially the recycling of high-voltage components—needs to evolve at the same pace.
(You might wonder: why hasn’t this already been addressed? Good question. It’s probably a mix of regulatory delays, economic trade-offs, and, maybe, a bit of wishful thinking.)
For now, the Kilwinning facility remains under investigation. Police and fire departments are working to understand what triggered the blaze. Until the results are clear, questions will linger. Could it have been prevented? Did the company follow the required safety measures? And most importantly—what’s being done to make sure it doesn’t happen a third time?
One thing is certain: recycling EV batteries safely is as critical as making them efficient. If the future of mobility is electric, we can’t afford to ignore what happens when these batteries reach the end of the road.
