Challenge / Goal
As EVs are gaining popularity virtually everywhere, solutions for repurposing their rather quickly deteriorating, but still valuable batteries (delivering 70-80% of their original output at end of life) have significant market potential and could yield many environmental benefits. Tartu – having built up a considerable electric taxi fleet (ca. 60 vehicles in the taxi fleet of OU Takso) – is a suitable test site for piloting solutions to reuse electric vehicle (EV) batteries for storing energy.
The objective of this activity is to use EV batteries in a sustainable way by giving them a second life. Reusing old batteries will considerably benefit the environment as less resources will be used to produce new batteries and energy storages, and at the same time, renewable solar energy will be used to charge the EVs.
Solution
The system will consists of old EV batteries, PV panels, EV chargers and battery charging equipment. The latter is the most important part of the system as this equipment is currently not available on the market and was separately developed during the SEC project. The system allows for the full charging of around 30 Ev's in a sustainable way each day, depending on the location of the system. Also, depending on the climate conditions, surplus electricity produced by the PV panels can be used for other on-site purposes (e.g. lighting) or sold to the grid.
Citizen participation
For this solution, citizen engagement was mainly done in the form of awareness-raising. After developing and installing the system, it was introduced to the citizens at information events in order to raise their awareness of sustainable mobility solutions in general and battery re-use in specific.
Functionality
reuse old EV batteries from Electric taxis for energy storage
generate energy with Solar PVs
charge electric taxis with stored renewable energy in old batteries
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