A first-of-a-kind, ultra-low cost second life battery solution unlocking the mass-market for resource-efficient home energy storage

The UK is making good progress towards 100% ZEV by 2030, in line with the Paris Agreement and Net Zero. However, Birmingham University, IET and IEA calculate there will be 30-60m tonnes of waste EV batteries globally by 2040; alarming as US, EU and Australian recycling rates are presently 5%. Battery demand has outpaced recycling, which remains expensive(~£1,000 per typical 350kg battery pack), inflating EV prices and stifling deployment.

Powervault is the UK's leading home energy storage provider and created the World's first Second Life Battery Electricity Storage System(SLBESS) with Faraday challenge support; a lower cost and resource efficient solution for the fast-growing home energy storage market worth $17.5bn by 2024(SEI). However installation costs and short warranties remain a barrier.

We have identified a technological solution that can eliminate the installation and O&M costs of SLBESS, representing a dramatic departure from BAU that will unlock the mass-market and open previously unavailable sales routes. We propose a 12-month R&D project building on the outputs of previously IUK-funded activities to develop a ground-breaking SLBESS product with mass-market potential, demonstrating a significant value add and providing a mass-market waste EV battery solution to facilitate NetZero and 100% ZEV.