Daimler and partners deploying world’s largest 2nd-life EV battery storage unit for grid support

4 November 2015

The world’s largest 2nd-life battery storage unit will soon go into operation in the Westphalian town of Lünen. A joint venture between Daimler AG, The Mobility House AG and GETEC, it will be operated from the beginning of next year at the site of REMONDIS SE and marketed in the German electricity balancing sector. The stationary storage unit, with a total capacity of 13 MWh, uses second-life battery systems from the second generation of smart electric drive vehicles.

Under the banner of “E-Mobility thought to the end,” Daimler, The Mobility House, GETEC and REMONDIS are mapping out the entire battery value creation and recycling chain with their project in Lünen. The process demonstrably improves the overall environmental performance of electric vehicles, thereby helping to make e-mobility more economically efficient.

The battery systems are manufactured and reprocessed at the Daimler subsidiary ACCUMOTIVE, used in electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles from Daimler AG, and the installation and marketing of stationary battery storage units in the energy markets by The Mobility House and GETEC, through to recycling the battery systems at the end of their lifecycle and feeding the valuable raw materials back into the production cycle, which will be the future responsibility of REMONDIS.

High-performance battery storage units are an important component in the successful transition to renewable energy. With an increasing supply of electricity from fluctuating renewable energies, such as wind farms or solar power stations, they can help stabilize power grids, levelling out energy fluctuations with virtually no loss—a role that is partly fulfilled by fossil power plants at present.

With their 2nd-use battery storage project in Lünen, the four partners are demonstrating that the lifecycle of a plug-in or electric vehicle battery does not end after its automotive application. Depending on the model, Daimler AG guarantees its electric vehicle customers a battery life of up to ten years. However, the battery systems are still fully operational after this point, as the low levels of power loss are only of minor importance when used in stationary storage.

Daimler estimates that the unit can operate efficiently in a stationary application for at least another ten years.

This temporarily delays the final phase of the value chain: material recycling. Re-use of the lithium-ion modules from electric cars in 2nd-use battery storage units practically doubles their commercial service life.

The Mobility House AG (TMH) integrates electric vehicles into the power grid as an aggregated swarm storage of batteries as well as a stationary storage device from vehicle batteries. The Mobility House was founded in 2009 and supports all leading car manufacturers in over 20 countries throughout the world from its locations in Munich, Zurich and San Francisco.

Part of the energy service provider GETEC, GETEC ENERGIE AG develops individual, tailored solutions for the supply of electricity and gas. It also markets electricity. Together with TMH, GETEC is a shareholder in Coulomb GmbH.

REMONDIS SE is one of the world’s largest recycling, service and water companies. REMONDIS aims, among other things, to recycle lithium-ion batteries on an industrial scale in the future. The group operates in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia to provide a sustainable supply of raw materials and water.