More bad news about electric drive autos...

[NickB79]

40. You can bring non-functioning NiMH Prius batteries to the dealer for a $200 payout

http://www.ehow.com/how_7405594_recycle-prius-batteries.html

Your link, on the other hand, seems to be discussing small, AA-size lithium batteries that typically end up in trashcans rather than large-scale auto batteries.

And to answer your more specific question, Umicore recycles lithium-ion battery packs: http://www.batteryrecycling.umicore.com/UBR/

Umicore is one of the market leaders in advanced products for rechargeable batteries, derived from Nickel and Cobalt in particular. It is for instance competing for the first position in cathode materials for the Li-ion technology with its LiCoO2 and mixed metals products. In this particular field and to enhance its green credentials, Umicore decided some years ago to develop a process for the recycling of NiMH or Li-ion batteries and by thus closing the loop of these materials.

The Umicore process enables an Environmentally Sound battery recycling of used Li-ion, Li-polymer and NiMH batteries, without any potentially hazardous pre-treatment, and returns the main Nickel and Cobalt metals into the form of new advanced materials for new battery applications. Less than one year after commercialization, the Umicore process won the Gold Award of the European Environmental Press, from a jury composed of industrial and technical specialists in Environment and Eco-efficiency. They have concluded that the Umicore process is today, the Best Available Technology for the recycling of portable and/or industrial batteries.