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Nissan, GM Give EV Batteries a Second Life
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/538541/nissan-gm-give-ev-batteries-a-second-life/[font face=Serif][font size=5]Nissan, GM Give EV Batteries a Second Life[/font]
[font size=4]Automakers have begun harvesting batteries for use in stationary energy storage applications.[/font]
By Richard Martin on June 16, 2015
[font size=3]The Nissan Leaf went on sale in December 2010, which means that the batteries in the earliest models of the world’s most popular electric vehicle need, or will soon need, to be replaced. Those batteries are not necessarily bound for the recycling bin, though: on Monday Nissan announced the first commercial arrangement to use “second-life batteries,” recovered from EVs, in stationary energy storage systems.
Nissan formed a joint venture with Sumitomo Corp. to develop second-life battery applications not long after the Leaf first appeared. The automaker is working with energy storage supplier Green Charge Networks to redeploy the used batteries in systems for commercial and industrial customers. The announcement from the Japanese automaker came the day before GM unveiled its own battery reuse program: an administration building at GM’s Milford Proving Grounds in Michigan is now equipped with an energy storage system that uses batteries collected from Chevrolet Volts. GM made its announcement Tuesday at the Advanced Automotive Battery Conference in Detroit.
Over time, EV batteries, which often charge and discharge multiple times over the course of a day, lose the ability to propel a vehicle; but they can still function in less demanding, stationary applications. “A battery is like a transmission or an engine: it’s available for remanufacture or reuse,” says Pablo Valencia, GM’s senior manager of battery lifecycle management. “The difference is in the battery application, you can use it on the grid.”
The Volt battery system, not yet on the market for commercial uses, is being deployed to supplement renewable power generation at the Milford facility, making the facility a net zero building, says GM. The company plans to commercialize the system in the future. Nissan and Green Charge are marketing their storage system for companies to manage their utility demand charges, substituting battery power for electricity from the grid at times of peak pricing. Both companies, along with Toyota and other EV makers, foresee a thriving market in retired EV batteries that can supply power to homes and businesses.
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[font size=4]Automakers have begun harvesting batteries for use in stationary energy storage applications.[/font]
By Richard Martin on June 16, 2015
[font size=3]The Nissan Leaf went on sale in December 2010, which means that the batteries in the earliest models of the world’s most popular electric vehicle need, or will soon need, to be replaced. Those batteries are not necessarily bound for the recycling bin, though: on Monday Nissan announced the first commercial arrangement to use “second-life batteries,” recovered from EVs, in stationary energy storage systems.
Nissan formed a joint venture with Sumitomo Corp. to develop second-life battery applications not long after the Leaf first appeared. The automaker is working with energy storage supplier Green Charge Networks to redeploy the used batteries in systems for commercial and industrial customers. The announcement from the Japanese automaker came the day before GM unveiled its own battery reuse program: an administration building at GM’s Milford Proving Grounds in Michigan is now equipped with an energy storage system that uses batteries collected from Chevrolet Volts. GM made its announcement Tuesday at the Advanced Automotive Battery Conference in Detroit.
Over time, EV batteries, which often charge and discharge multiple times over the course of a day, lose the ability to propel a vehicle; but they can still function in less demanding, stationary applications. “A battery is like a transmission or an engine: it’s available for remanufacture or reuse,” says Pablo Valencia, GM’s senior manager of battery lifecycle management. “The difference is in the battery application, you can use it on the grid.”
The Volt battery system, not yet on the market for commercial uses, is being deployed to supplement renewable power generation at the Milford facility, making the facility a net zero building, says GM. The company plans to commercialize the system in the future. Nissan and Green Charge are marketing their storage system for companies to manage their utility demand charges, substituting battery power for electricity from the grid at times of peak pricing. Both companies, along with Toyota and other EV makers, foresee a thriving market in retired EV batteries that can supply power to homes and businesses.
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