Even batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) have a limited lifespan, so what happens once they can no longer be used in cars? Well, thanks to The University of Warwick’s WMG technology experts, these Lithium-ion batteries, which still retain sufficient energy and power capability after usage, can be graded quickly and used for ‘second life’ applications – some of which are in renewable energy sources.

To work out if batteries are suitable for ‘second life’ applications, where they are put to a different use after their initial lifecycle is over, they first need to be graded. This process identifies which batteries can be used for spare parts, recycling, or second life. This is normally a long and expensive process, taking well over three hours, but in January 2020 the WMG team developed methods of grading the sub-components of battery packs in as little as three minutes – an impressive 98% decrease.

Nissan partnered with WMG, AMETEK, and Element Energy on the “UK Energy Storage Laboratory” project, and the methodology was successfully transferred to their second-life facility. It was predicted that by 2021, the number of battery packs returning to Nissan would start to increase. However, with electric vehicle batteries lasting longer than expected, this only started to come into play in late 2022.

Early models of Nissan’s Electric LEAF cars, which first went on sale around 13 years ago in 2010, are now starting to reach the end of their life spans. These used batteries are being collected at Nissan dealerships and sent to their factory in Namie, Fukushima, where factory workers will disassemble and prepare them for a second life. In this way, Nissan should be able to make a truly green transition with their cars – where clean electric vehicles can be driven, and their batteries recycled at the end of their lifespan.