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BMW working on ways to re-purpose used battery modules in Germany.

3K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  jelloslug 
#1 · (Edited)
second life batteries

I've wondered what would happen with EV battery modules, once they reached the end of their useful life in the vehicle. It turns out, BMW is working on re-purposing these batteries, since there is still a good amount of charge capacity left in them. The article below goes into more detail, however, it is translated from German, so the flow is off a bit. Still interesting though.

BMW i batteries are called "Second Life Batteries" flexible storage for renewable energy and ensure the stability of the power system.

Hamburg / Munich. After a successfully completed six-month trial operation, Frank Horch, Senator for Economics, Transport and Innovation, today in Hamburg HafenCity, Vattenfall and the BMW Group has developed Second Life Battery Memory passed in regular operation. Vattenfall and the BMW Group as part of the funded project "Hamburg - the current economy" jointly developed a way batteries more sense to use that were previously used in BMW i electric vehicles. The batteries still have life after the vehicle is usually a high capacity, were merged into stationary storage systems. Now they are used as flexible storage for renewable energy and to ensure the stability of the power system. The load capacity and the efficiency of this memory are studied in two applications: as a power buffer for fast chargers and for storing solar power and to increase their own consumption.

Senator Frank Horch, "E-Mobility is one of the future issues at all and thus driving innovation in Hamburg location. We support innovation and investment readiness in subject areas such as clean technology and renewable energy drive to ensure quality of life, environmental impact and future prospects of our city permanently. "

"To test batteries in a real application allows in the future to form the bridge between sustainable electric mobility and the energy revolution in Germany", Dr. Julian Weber, Manager says Innovation Projects E-Mobility at BMW Group. "The findings from the project can be transferred to many other applications and create additional opportunities at the interface of e-mobility and the use of renewable energies."

In test mode, the battery storage have been different racked to verify their suitability. In regular operation, you now want to meet the complex requirements of network and market.

"Our aim is to integrate this battery storage in the energy system and to provide a plurality of such small, local plants for electricity, a market access. For now, for example, attempts to load the batteries according to the requirements of the power system and to discharge. At the end they should be, among other things the current market as the primary control energy available, "explains Pieter Wasmuth, Vattenfall Plenipotentiary for Hamburg and Northern Germany.

The project collaboration between Vattenfall and the BMW Group will initially run for a period of five years and examines possible areas for "Second Life" batteries. The project partners hope this new information about possible applications for these batteries and the aging behavior and the storage capacity of the used lithium-ion battery modules.
 

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#2 ·
Interesting.

When the Volt was first announced, GM made a similar big fuss about utilization of battery packs pulled from vehicles after significant use, repurposed for individual home power backup and grid demand leveling. Has anyone gotten wind of any effort to make it happen?

Much easier to accomplish in Germany, where the government is solidly committed to not only energy independence, but responsible power generation. Interesting to see it actually happen. Must be nice.
 
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