Most automakers haven’t fully ramped up production of electric vehicles yet, but they’re looking at second-generation batteries for those vehicles.
Audi is working with startup Nunam to install battery modules from a decommissioned test vehicle into an electric rickshaw, which is expected to hit Indian roads as early as 2023 as part of the test project. They will be provided to a non-profit organization and used to transport goods to market for sale, according to an Audi press release.
After their initial use in a car, these battery modules can still store a lot of power, Nunam co-founder Prodip Chatterjee said in the release. Given its light weight and lower power and range requirements, trailers are an ideal use case, he says.
And in general, like The Wall Street Journal As recently shown, replacing EV batteries can help expand renewable energy as well as help address waste challenges.
Audi . battery module electric tow truck
According to Audi and Nunam, electric trailers are already popular in India, but they are often powered by lead-acid batteries that have a shorter lifespan than the Audi EV’s lithium-ion battery modules, and are often improperly disposed of. way, according to Audi and Nunam.
To tackle emissions from charging electric rickshaws from India’s mainly coal-powered grid, Nunam is also developing solar charging stations. And it also plans to use a second-generation battery to store energy.
This is just the latest of many projects looking to use second-generation EV batteries. Another recent example comes from the Volvo Group (an entity separate from Volvo Cars), which bought a 10% stake in UK-based energy storage company Connected Energy as a battery outlet. used from his electric truck.
Battery Energy Storage Connected Energy
Automakers have been introducing second-life battery applications for years. Nissan and General Motors announced demonstration projects in 2015 using Leaf and Chevrolet Volt batteries respectively. At the same time, Toyota announced an energy storage array in Yellowstone National Park that included Camry Hybrid Battery Pack.
California-based B2U storage solution made money with a second life Nissan Leaf battery in energy storage. Rivian also pointed out that the configuration and layout of its battery pack was determined in part for second-generation use.
These projects are based on the assumption that a lot of batteries will be left over after the cars they are installed on reach the end of their useful life. That said, with raw material resources still limited, there is some degree of debate as to whether reuse or recycle is a better choice.
