Can we repurpose EV batteries?

V-Storage started a pilot using old batteries from busses as an energy storage system. The ‘old’ batteries are placed in a large container. They intent to use the stored energy to electrify busses and to increase the Grid Balance. The pilot will start in January 2017.

In four or five years, the batteries in the roughly one and a quarter million EVs currently on the road are going to start to wane. EV owners will either replace them, or replace the cars entirely.

That means we’ll have a lot of used batteries (with plenty of life left in them) but which are no longer suitable for EVs. What to do?

One possibility is repurposing them to serve as grid-connected energy storage.

Storage is valuable to the grid for many reasons, including its ability to smooth out fluctuations in supply, allowing for more integration of variable renewable energy. Read More