Maybe I didnt go far enough (that site makes my phone want to die) but it seems that the article is about modern electric cars being scrapped. Which is somewhat reasonable, the battery is more or less part of the frame on a lot of them. Thusly when they get into a wreck if the frame is compromised then the batt is as well, which given how lithium doesnt play nice with oxygen is a safety matter. The same would not apply to say a 1960s VW bug, which would probably have its batts in the frunk.