Global partnership on second-life battery solutions

Mercedes-Benz Energy, a wholly owned Daimler AG subsidiary, is partnering up with Beijing Electric Vehicle Co on second life battery storage systems.

The partnership will see expertise and resources go into sustainable renewable energy development.

It will see the first second-life energy storage unit in Beijing, making use of retired electric car batteries. The project will serve as the basis for other types of cooperation in the future.

Mercedes-Benz Energy chief executive Gordon Gassmann says regenerative energy production is a rapidly increasing worldwide.

“The tendency towards increasing distances between the site of energy production and the site of energy consumption also means huge challenges for today’s energy grids.

“This is creating wide-ranging opportunities for stationary energy storage systems worldwide. Second-life battery storage units are a very sensible supplement, as with the further utilisation of disused car batteries we are also making sustainable use of valuable raw materials,” he says.

Beijing Electric Vehicle (BJEV) deputy general manager Ye Xiaohua says the “rapid electrification of vehicles has transformed vehicles from a traditional means of transport, to a new tool of energy management”.

“BJEV is an expert in areas such as charging and battery swap infrastructure and battery second-life usage. I believe our cooperation in energy management will bring long-term and stable benefits.”