Some organisations consulted for a UK government study believe that the safety of second life EV batteries in residential energy storage “can never be guaranteed” while others believe an enabling framework is possible.
Gigawatt-hours of used EV batteries are now hitting the market, and California-based Element Energy claims it has the ideal BMS platform to scale second life energy storage technology.
A handful of companies are trying to get in early and design and deploy ‘second life’ energy storage units using EV batteries ahead of an expected boom in supply in the second half of the 2020s.
Mercedes-Benz Energy, part of the large automotive OEM, has expanded its range of second life energy storage partnerships into India through a 50MWh per annum module supply deal with local firm Lohum.
An evaluation of 2022 and predictions for the coming year from German battery storage developer and system integrator ECO STOR, and UK-based second life energy storage firm Connected Energy.
California-based firm Element Energy has raised a US$28 million Series B to accelerate its proprietary BMS-enhanced second life energy storage solution, with 2.5GWh of modules secured already.
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has provided US$7.9 million for a 50MWh battery energy storage project using second life EV batteries in the ERCOT, Texas market, by Element Energy and NextEra Energy Resources.
Finland and California-based second life energy storage firms Cactos and Smartville Inc have raised nearly US$10 million to commercialise systems using repurposed Tesla EV batteries – we talk to both company founders.
While battery storage growth in the US continues to vastly outpace that of Europe, the repurposing of used EV batteries into second life stationary storage systems is far more developed in the latter.
Nissan, Renault and Mercedes-Benz are at the forefront of providing EV batteries for companies developing second life battery energy storage systems (BESS), but the market for such batteries is still thinly-traded.Â
