Used Electric Car Batteries Could Be Crucial In Future Energy Storage

Nissan North America, ABB, 4R Energy and Sumitomo Corporation of America have formed a partnership to evaluate whether used electric car batteries could provide residential and commercial energy storage solutions and back-up power sources, making electric vehicles even more sustainable. Their aim is to develop a prototype to effectively reuse lithium-ion batteries taken from the Nissan LEAF.

As electric vehicle batteries have up to 70% capacity remaining after 10 years of use, they can be used beyond the lifetime of the vehicle for other applications. The companies are going to test their use in smart-grid energy management systems and battery energy storage. They plan to develop a LEAF battery storage prototype with a capacity of at least 50 kilowatt hours (kWh), enough to supply 15 average homes with electricity for two hours. Ken Srebnik, senior manager at NNA Corporate Planning, said:

It’s important to Nissan that we manage the complete lifecycle of the electric vehicle battery pack, even beyond its use in a Nissan car. Innovations in energy storage systems are becoming more viable as the electric grid gets smarter, and Nissan is proud to work with ABB, 4R Energy and Sumitomo to help bring these possibilities to market.

Nissan