As California’s electric vehicle market continues to grow, the Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA), California Auto Dismantlers & Recyclers Association (CADRA), and the State of California Auto Dismantlers Association (SCADA), have all submitted letters of support for Senate Bill 615 (SB 615). SB 615 seeks to establish a labeling standard for vehicle traction batteries. In ARA’s letter to Senator Ben Allen, Emil Nusbaum, ARA’s VP of Strategy, Government, and Regulatory Affairs, stated that SB 615 is “a productive first step” towards reducing safety risks and economic uncertainty for automotive recyclers working with large-format batteries. SB 615 requires automotive manufacturers to place the following information on vehicle traction batteries: (1) the name of the battery supplier; (2) date of manufacture; (3) chemistry identification that includes cathode and anode type; (4) rated capacity; (5) hazardous substances contained within the battery; (6) product safety and recall information; and (7) safe disposal information. These labeling requirements mirror the labeling requirements included in Colorado’s recently enacted battery lifecycle law that came as the result of inter-industry collaboration over many months.
CADRA, which represents automotive dismantling facilities across Southern California, reaffirmed the need for consistent labeling in its own letter. James Gaye representing CADRA stated that, “managing end-of-life high-voltage batteries safely and sustainably has become a pressing priority for our industry… CADRA fully supports SB 615 as a key initiative to protect facility workers, strengthen California’s recycling infrastructure, and advance a sustainable circular economy.” James also expressed his appreciation for ARA’s collaborative efforts and said, “CADRA would like to extend our sincere thanks to ARA and Emil Nusbaum for their ongoing support and collaboration. Working with Emil has consistently been a highlight for our organization.”
SCADA also added its voice to the effort as well. In its letter to Senator Allen, Gavin McHugh of McHugh Koepke Padron supported SB 615 and wrote that the bill “will give auto dismantlers better access to the information they need to safely identify and handle batteries without imposing duplicative registration, reporting, recordkeeping, and other regulatory mandates.”
Together, the letters from ARA, CADRA, and SCADA reflect a unified industry voice behind SB 615 as a foundational step toward a safer, more transparent end-of-life vehicle recycling infrastructure in California.
For a link to CA SB 615, click here.
To view the CADRA SB 615 Support Letter, click here.
To view the SB 615 SCADA Support Letter, click here.
