Tag: ev batteries

How to Turn Your Electric Car Into a Mobile Power Plant
Technology

How to Turn Your Electric Car Into a Mobile Power Plant

[ad_1] If you're planning to buy an electric car in 2024, you'll want to compare models' price, range and charging speed. But you should also ask whether the car is capable of powering your home in a pinch. A growing number of EVs coming on the market can tap the considerable energy stored in their batteries to keep the lights on during a blackout and lower your utility bill when rates spike.This “bidirectional charging” capability also promises to transform electric vehicles into a significant source of energy for utilities struggling to balance renewable energy production and climate-caused power disruptions. As EV sales grow, utilities can aggregate batteries into virtual power plants to avoid firing up fossil fuel power stations when demand spikes. The 2.1 million electric vehicles ...
A second life for EV batteries? Depends how long the first is
Technology

A second life for EV batteries? Depends how long the first is

[ad_1] Global automakers have touted plans to re-use electric vehicle (EV) batteries when they lose power, but competition for battery packs and cell materials, and the appetite for affordable cars cast doubt on this part of the circular economy.An array of startups offers second-life energy storage using old EV batteries. But creating the viable industry envisioned by carmakers such as Nissan would mean fighting off competition from recyclers, refurbishers and the needs of drivers squeezed by the cost-of-living crisis. "The assumption that EV batteries are only going to last eight-to-10 years and then owners will swap them out is just not true," Hans Eric Melin, founder of consultancy Circular Energy Storage (CES), which tracks battery volumes and prices, said. "It's going to be tricky...