12:46 pm, August 24, 2023
JLR has announced a bold new plan which will see it recycle old EV batteries to create a new renewable energy storage system.
The British outfit has teamed up with a leading renewable energy specialist to create a new energy storage system using old batteries from the Jaguar I-Pace.
Working alongside Wykes Engineering, which is based in Rushden, JLR is planning to develop the ‘largest energy storage system’ in the UK that will be able to store solar and wind power.
The system will use 30 second-life Jaguar I-Pace batteries, and be able to store enough power to supply 250 homes for a day (up to 2.5MWh of energy).
The batteries have been taken from prototype and engineering test vehicles and JLR hopes to have supplied enough of them to store a total of 7.5MWh of energy (750 homes) by the end of the year.
Each system – thanks to an inverter – can manage the delivery and release of energy. For instance, it can send power directly to the National Grid during periods of high demand or draw it out within off-peak times and store it for later use.
We have developed one of the largest energy storage systems in the UK, with Wykes Engineering to harness solar and wind power using second life car batteries.
It helps balance the grid by supplying power during peak hours and storing power during off-peak hours for future use. pic.twitter.com/uw6bPVhfS0— JLR (@JLR_News) August 23, 2023
François Dossa, executive director, strategy and sustainability at JLR, said: ‘Our sustainability approach addresses the entire value chain of our vehicles, including circularity of EV batteries.
‘Our EV batteries are engineered to the highest standards and this innovative project, in collaboration with Wykes Engineering, proves they can be safely reused for energy sector application to increase renewable energy opportunities.
‘Using the 70-80 per cent residual capacity in EV batteries, before being recycled, demonstrates full adoption of circularity principles.’
JLR believes that the second-life battery supply could exceed 200 gigawatt-hours per year by 2030. Batteries are sourced from vehicles once their health falls below the required standard for an EV.
