Waymo has said it will repurpose expired batteries from its electric vehicles (EVs) for grid storage.
The driverless car firm, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet, said that battery storage was “critical” to sustaining the growth of renewables in the US.
Standard consumer EV batteries can be expected to last up to 15 years before they are depleted enough to require replacement – but because Waymo operates a commercial fleet, its vehicles are on the road for far longer than typical consumer vehicles, meaning the batteries need to be replaced sooner.
EV batteries can be used effectively in stationary settings such as grid storage facilities, even at 70% capacity. Waymo has signed a deal with B2U Storage Solutions to ensure that the batteries in its Jaguar I-PACE fleet will be repurposed by B2U when they need to be replaced.
“Our shared fleet of EVs provide a massive opportunity to support the growth of clean energy on the electricity grid while expanding the circular economy...