Second life for repurposed EV batteries in off grid locations

With 2kWh of energy capacity, the repurposed units are expected to find use in developing countries or isolated communities where they could provide electricity to small shops, farm holdings, or residential homes.

“When an electric vehicle’s battery reaches the end of its useful life it is by no means massively depleted,” said Prof James Marco, lead researcher on the project. “It has simply reached the end of its useful life in a vehicle. It is generally accepted that an EV battery has reached end of life when its capacity drops to 80 per cent of a fresh battery. While this is no longer enough to satisfy drivers, it remains immensely useful for anyone who seeks to use the battery in a static situation.”

Partially depleted batteries have the potential for a second life as long as they can be used reliably, sustainably, and cheaply in remote locations. According to WMG, challenges ahead of this goal include protecting the lithium-ion cells from over-charge and discharge, ensuring ESS compatibility with other used battery cells and modules from other manufacturers, and developing an easy and economical maintenance regime.