Nissan LEAF Batteries Get a New Life…as Batteries
Once a Nissan LEAF needs a new battery, what happens to the old one? If it were a Game Boy or CD player, you’d just toss the batteries in the trash (or recycle them), but a Nissan LEAF’s battery pack weighs 300 kg (660 lbs), which is a good amount more than the garbage man is willing to pick up.
Nissan has come up with an answer with partner Green Charge Networks: use the batteries to store electricity in a stationary location.
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The first unit, which consists of several LEAF batteries working together, will be installed in a Nissan facility this summer to help offset electricity demands.
Systems like this one are expected to be paired with wind or solar energy generators to reduce a facility’s environmental footprint and save money.
According to Brad Smith, director of Nissan’s 4R Energy business in the US, “A lithium-ion battery from a Nissan LEAF still holds a great deal of value as energy storage, even after it is removed from the vehicle, so Nissan expects to be able to reuse a majority of LEAF battery packs in non-automotive applications.”
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This system is eventually expected to be available to consumers to improve their own sustainability and reduce energy costs.
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