An energy storage facility in California powered by used electric vehicle batteries has begun operation.
The 12-megawatt hour facility in Santa Barbara County near the community of New Cuyama, was developed by B2U Storage Solutions, based in Lancaster, California. The facility uses hundreds of electric vehicle batteries sourced from Honda that have reached the end of life for automotive purposes.
B2U says it deploys used electric vehicle battery packs in plug and play fashion, using its patented EV Pack Storage technology that virtually eliminates repurposing costs.
The technology is certified to Underwriter Laboratories energy storage system requirements and continuously monitors and controls each battery to ensure operating specifications are maintained, and the cabinet controllers and ancillary equipment measure and manage the internal cabinet environment surrounding each battery pack.
To mitigate any potential hazards, battery packs are automatically disconnected if any component deviates from its operating specifications and design limits.
The storage facility, B2U’s second project, is interconnected to the Pacific Gas and Electric distribution system, selling power and grid services into the California Independent System Operator wholesale power market.
In February, B2U began operation of a 28-MWh facility in Lancaster, which uses over 1,300 electric vehicle battery packs from multiple automotive manufacturers.
B2U also owns One Ten Partners, a 2.7-megawatt solar photovoltaic facility that has been in operation for five years. The company plans to add a second-life electric vehicle storage facility to the solar plant in 2024.
