With electric vehicles now making up 7% of new car sales in the U.S.—and registrations 63% higher than one year ago—it’s clear that EV technology is changing how Americans drive.

It’s also changing how car companies and dealers handle breakdowns, accidents and other routine automotive incidents. After more than a century of working with petroleum-powered internal combustion engines, handling the large format lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles requires a whole new approach.

“Dealers and aftermarket companies are struggling to understand how to do their normal pickups—picking up a damaged battery instead of a damaged engine,” says Jeff Pyle, President & CEO of Endural. “What do they have to do from a transportation standpoint on the packaging, training their drivers, training their garages that break those batteries down?”

To help make that struggle easier, Labelmaster and Endural have now partnered to give the automotive industry sustainable, reusable plastic packaging options for transporting large lithium batteries and other Dangerous Goods. Here’s a closer look.

A partnership for safe, compliant lithium battery shipping

We’ve long been an industry leader in helping organizations transport lithium batteries safely, efficiently and compliantly. Large format lithium batteries pose a special challenge, for which some of the world’s largest organizations trust our expertise.

This partnership combines that expertise with Endural’s durable plastic casing to offer a sustainable and cost-effective packaging solution to the automotive aftermarket industry. It expands our ability to offer plastic packaging solutions for transporting damaged, defective or recalled (DDR) lithium batteries and modules, in addition to our existing wood and metal casing options.

Endural customers can now be more confident that their cases are compliant with UN regulations for transporting hazmat—and that they’re supported by the industry leader in Dangerous Goods solutions and services.

Pyle says, “Labelmaster’s understanding of lithium battery transport, along with its full suite of DG labeling, technology and training solutions, enables Endural to provide a more complete, compliant packaging solution to our customers.”

The ROI of reusable battery cases

Why is it so important to offer plastic packaging for large format lithium batteries? The answer comes down to three factors—durability, versatility and ROI.

Durability is vital for protecting hazardous materials such as lithium batteries in transport—not just once, but over multiple uses. Endural Partner & Vice President Sue Williams says, “We offer a very durable, reusable, returnable product. We know that there are cases that have been in the field for 20 years.

“One of the main reasons a lot of customers switch from wood to our plastic is because they’re getting damage to the parts they’re shipping. They can go to the plastic container and have less damage, so that’s a big cost savings for them.”

Endural cases lend themselves to multiple uses because they’re so versatile—the same case can be used to ship different batteries or modules simply by swapping out custom inserts. Pyle says, “For one manufacturer, we have one case that fits five or six different batteries for their various models.”

With durability and versatility enabling multiple uses over the long term, the ROI of plastic cases over wood crates becomes apparent. Pyle explains, “You have to look at the ROI based on the number of turns the case is going to get. If you get more than three or four turns the case is almost free, based on what you’re spending on the wood crates you can’t reuse.

The ROI on Endural’s plastic cases is enhanced by their lighter weight compared to wood and metal containers. They’re also stackable, reducing space in trucks and warehouses, and are forklift and pallet jack moveable.

Reusable, recyclable and sustainable

Endural cases are made from recycled material and are themselves recyclable, so they’re a more sustainable choice than wood crates. And that matters.

“Virtually all the car companies along with the remanufacturing companies are talking about the need to have more recyclability,” says Pyle. “They want to go to returnables to get rid of the environmental issues with cardboard and wood.”

Reusing containers is one way for businesses to reduce their environmental footprint. The fact that the containers themselves are made from recycled material helps even more. Pyle says, “In our processes we probably reuse 98% of the materials. We will actually bring old cases in from customers, and we’ll regrind that material, too.

“There’s a push now to use environmentally friendly packaging.”

Williams adds, “A lot of our customers are remanufacturing companies, so they are more conscious of environmentally friendly parts and sustainability because that’s what their business is based on.”

Care about the environment? Reusable and recyclable plastic containers from Endural are the way to ship your batteries.

Let Labelmaster manage your large format lithium battery transport

Our new partnership with Endural is just one more reason to work with Labelmaster. No one else can offer you the Dangerous Goods experience, expertise and hands-on help you need to navigate the large format lithium battery transport process safely, compliantly and efficiently.

Contact Labelmaster to learn more!

Make sure your shipments are safe and in complete compliance with a full line of solutions from Labelmaster—a full-service provider of goods and services for hazardous materials and Dangerous Goods professionals, shippers, transport operators and EH&S providers.