The inability to easily recycle EV car batteries is repeat problem in sustainable industries. No one puts much thought into how to recyle a product that is supposed to steer us away from combustion consumption after it's no longer usable (i.e. burnt out batteries). The fact that EVs are growing in popularity is creating a new trash problem because they can't be reused in a snap. This is on top of what the batteries require in cobalt and other minerals and where that is sourced from (a whole nother mess). The whole thing convinces me to just keep my old Toyota truck running. I'm probably doing more for the environment doing that and avoiding creating demand for more batteries and more EVs and more messes than just burning plain old gas in my truck.
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It's early days for this industry but recycling EV batteries is very much a thing, they're too valuable to not recycle them, and it's a rapidly growing industry (Redwood Materials is the best example). The batteries can either be recycled or repurposed as stationary storage. Sure, there will always be someone somewhere who has trouble offloading a battery without incurring an expense, but I feel it's inevitable that a transport network will develop – especially as autonomous vehicles roll out. Industrial applications for autonomous transport will reduce costs dramatically and make collecting an EV battery from a more remote mechanic or dealer more viable.
There's a lot of misinformation about EV batteries. Cobalt for example is no longer a huge component. LFP batteries are now dominant and use no cobalt. Lithium and iron are plentiful.
I suspect you’re right