Jaguar Land Rover repurposes car batteries for grid power storage

author: FutureCar Staff    

The UK's largest carmaker, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), has unveiled plans to repurpose old car batteries for energy storage. This initiative aims to create one of the largest energy storage systems in the country.

Battery storage serves the purpose of storing excess power during off-peak times when there is an imbalance between the supply of electricity, such as from wind farms, and the demand for energy. This stored energy can then be released and fed back into the grid when needed.

JLR's battery scheme aims to provide enough batteries to power 750 homes for a day, equivalent to 7.5 megawatt hours of energy, by the end of this year.

The company highlights that electric car batteries can be reused due to their high standards, even when they no longer meet the stringent requirements of an electric vehicle. Typically, these batteries retain 70% to 80% of their residual capacity.

The used car batteries will be stored in containers located at the Chelveston renewable energy park in Northamptonshire. JLR also anticipates expanding the program by creating additional containers to house more used batteries in the future.

Furthermore, JLR believes that there is potential for further utilization of used batteries in the coming years. According to a 2019 McKinsey report, the supply of used batteries for energy storage could surpass 200 gigawatt-hours per year by 2030, amounting to a global value of over $30 billion (£23.5 billion).

The implementation of energy storage systems addresses the challenge of renewable electricity generation that goes unused due to limitations in transferring the energy from its source to where it can be utilized. This problem often arises when wind farms produce excess electricity during periods of high wind but lack the demand or grid capacity to distribute it.

This announcement also highlights the longevity of electric vehicle batteries, which can outlast the vehicles themselves. Even after their use in cars, these batteries can find new applications in various industries.

Colin Walker, the head of transport at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, emphasizes the recyclability of most metals in EV batteries, with only 30kg being lost once everything else has been recycled. In contrast, a petrol car irreversibly burns 17,000 liters of fuel by the end of its life.

FutureCar Staff