- Waymo’s old robotaxi batteries will live on as stationary energy storage.
- The autonomous vehicle company announced a partnership with B2U Storage Solutions on Thursday.
- The used batteries will help support the energy grid in places where Waymo operates, starting with Texas and California.
Waymo on Thursday announced a partnership to recycle its EV batteries when they reach the end of their usable life in robotaxis. The packs that currently help ferry passengers around in cities like San Francisco and Austin will someday bolster the energy grid through a deal with B2U Storage Solutions.
Waymo said it will deploy “hundreds of megawatts” of energy storage through the deal, starting with projects in Texas and California. The grid-scale batteries will be able to harness all of the extra energy produced by intermittent renewable sources, and then release that energy during times of high demand. B2U has already launched these sorts of projects across the country; one in California is powered by 1,300 retired EV batteries, and another in Texas combines the energy of 720 packs.
Where will the batteries come from? For years, America’s robotaxi leader has leaned on the Jaguar I-Pace as its primary robotaxi vehicle. But it also just announced the start of rides in its next-generation Ojai van, built by China’s Zeekr. Waymo is testing Hyundai Ioniq 5 taxis and plans to incorporate those into its fleet in time, too. Company executives have discussed offering a range of form factors for different types of trips and customers.
Waymo’s move is part of a growing trend. As it turns out, EV batteries can have plenty of juice left in them when a vehicle reaches the end of its usable life. An EV battery that’s only able to provide 50% or 60% of its original rated range is worth replacing. But that same battery pack is still plenty useful in a stationary setting, especially when it’s packaged up with hundreds of others. It means batteries don’t need to be recycled and remanufactured to be repurposed.
Both General Motors and Rivian have struck deals with Redwood Materials, another battery recycling and repurposing company, to have their EV batteries transformed into grid-scale storage banks. As more and more batteries hit the end of their automotive lives, expect to see more projects like this.
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