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Developing new technology for EV Batteries Second Life

 

Electric vehicles rely on the battery for most essential functions (driving, HVAC control, infotainment, and safety systems). As the battery degrades, so does its useful range. This range degradation is further amplified in extreme hot and cold operating environments causing owners to adjust driving/charging habits or even parking the vehicle.

 

When it comes to out-of-warranty battery replacement, drivers are faced with a choice: buy a new vehicle or replace/repair their battery. This can mean a costly new battery or a carbon-neutral, sustainably manufactured battery. Once removed from the vehicle the degraded battery, or core, now has the opportunity to live another life. Whether in a mobility application, non-mobility, or as a last resort, recycled.

 

With non-mobility, the remaining battery capacity can be used in stationary energy storage. As we move towards renewable sources, battery energy storage will play an increasingly important role. By repurposing batteries as energy storage, they can have a second life, minimizing the environmental impact of battery production and turning them into an asset.

 

Why is Second Life Important?

Manufacturers have focused on making electric vehicles (EVs) using more advanced battery technology.

 

Now, as the first generation of EVs begin to reach the end of their life, companies are starting to see a second life for EV batteries. Instead of becoming an environmental issue, they’ve become a resource.

 

IDTechEx forecasts the second-life EV battery industry to reach $7B by 2033. The EV battery circular economy is growing, requiring decisions from key stakeholders on how it grows.

 

Companies need to engage with second-life experts, like TERREPOWER, to explore the best options.

 

How Second Life Works

TERREPOWER is a division of the North American based sustainable manufacturing leader BBB Industries. TERREPOWER leverages BBB Industries over 35 years of sustainable manufacturing expertise to give EV batteries a second life. TERREPOWER experts are the only ones to sustainably manufacture both EV batteries and solar power systems (including panels and inverters) as well as develop battery energy storage solutions.

 

As batteries reach the end of their life in a vehicle, TERREPOWER views these as assets and is addressing ways to use these batteries to reduce a battery’s carbon footprint and reuse them to play a pivotal role in the step towards a net zero carbon energy system.

 

How will former EV batteries find their way into second life?

This is where the power of partnerships comes in to support a true circular economy.

 

BBB Industries and its TERREPOWER division have built strong relationships with many OEMs over the years.

 

More work needs to be done to develop better battery technology and how it can be used for a second life. That is why TERREPOWER has developed technology centers in the United States and Europe to research battery health.

 

What's next?

Education is key to understanding how an EV battery works and what can be done with it once it’s reached the end of its first life in a vehicle. Often drivers aren’t aware that a failing EV battery doesn’t mean the entire battery is failing. Often a module can be replaced, and the battery can be put back into the vehicle. If that’s not the case, the battery can be used to power solar energy or used for battery storage.

 

Check out the work TERREPOWER is doing: https://www.bbbind.com/terrepower.