Photo: daimler
It’s become common knowledge that used batteries from electric cars get a second life once they’re taken out of the vehicles due to their dipping performances: they are put together into huge energy storage facilities that are used to eliminate fluctuations in the grid.
Daimler isn’t alone in this venture, with other car makers doing the same thing with their used battery packs. In fact, the maker of the smart forwto electric drive already has two such plants in operation, and now it’s getting ready to launch a third, in cooperation with ACCUMOTIVE and enercity (Stadtwerke Hannover AG).
The new plant will use about 3,000 battery modules created for the new smart fortwo electric drive, adding up to a total capacity of 15 MWh. The Herrenhausen facility is going to be one of the largest in Europe.
What makes this third project so special is that the batteries used here won’t be decommissioned units like before, but spare packs waiting to be put into the new smart fortwo electric drive should the original battery require replacement.
The constant fluctuations in the power grid, together with an advanced battery management system used by ACCUMOTIVE, ensure this vital power cycle takes place whenever necessary so that the batteries are always kept within their optimal functioning parameters.
It’s always a good idea to make the most of what’s available to you, and what Daimler is doing with these batteries that would have otherwise just laid in an expensive storage facility swallowing resources and not giving anything back, is a fine example of how a company can maximize profit while also doing something for the community. Let’s just hope we won’t be faced with the situation where a lot of smarts require new batteries while there’s also a low power output in the grid - that could spell a power shortage, if not a complete blackout. But we may be exaggerating a little.
The new plant will use about 3,000 battery modules created for the new smart fortwo electric drive, adding up to a total capacity of 15 MWh. The Herrenhausen facility is going to be one of the largest in Europe.
What makes this third project so special is that the batteries used here won’t be decommissioned units like before, but spare packs waiting to be put into the new smart fortwo electric drive should the original battery require replacement.
This is a win-win situation for everyone involved.
For a stored battery to maintain its optimal functioning capacity, it requires regular charging and discharging cycles so that it can be ready to be fitted on a vehicle if required. That is usually achieved with great costs, which only add to those of storing the battery on an undetermined period of time.The constant fluctuations in the power grid, together with an advanced battery management system used by ACCUMOTIVE, ensure this vital power cycle takes place whenever necessary so that the batteries are always kept within their optimal functioning parameters.
It’s always a good idea to make the most of what’s available to you, and what Daimler is doing with these batteries that would have otherwise just laid in an expensive storage facility swallowing resources and not giving anything back, is a fine example of how a company can maximize profit while also doing something for the community. Let’s just hope we won’t be faced with the situation where a lot of smarts require new batteries while there’s also a low power output in the grid - that could spell a power shortage, if not a complete blackout. But we may be exaggerating a little.
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