BMW and Mini have announced a new scheme that aims to give ‘retired’ batteries from electric cars a new life.
The firms have partnered with Off Grid Energy to create a way that defunct batteries from electric cars could then be used as a different power solution.
BMW and Mini EVs come with an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty, and the firm says that after that time the batteries should still be able to retain 80 per cent of their initial capacity. However, the firm says that it’s “inevitable” that the batteries will eventually get to a stage where they can’t hold enough charge in the car to continue being used.
Through the partnership the EV battery can then be used as a mobile power source, with the first prototype unit now produced from a 40kWh battery used in a development car, and set to be used at BMW and Mini UK events. The firm says when enough units become available, systems will have a 180kWh capacity.
Graeme Grieve, CEO BMW Group UK, said “BMW Group will have 25 electrified models on the roads by 2023 – half of them fully electric. We are delighted to work with Off Grid Energy to find a sustainable way of continuing to use these valuable batteries, even after they have put in many years of service in our electrified cars.”
BMW and Mini have between them sold more than 500,000 electric and plug-in hybrid models, and is aiming to have 25 electrified cars available by 2023, with half of these being electric. By 2030, the brand wants half of its sales to be for electrified cars.
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