BMW UK partners up with Off Grid Energy
BMW Group UK has announced a new partnership with Off Grid Energy to create a sustainable second life solution for its electric car batteries. Off Grid Energy will reuse spent battery modules from BMW EVs to adapt them for use as mobile power storage units.
The prototype features batteries from a Mini Electric development vehicle. It has a 40kWh capacity delivering a 7.2kW fast charge and will be used at BMW and MINI UK events next year. Conceptually, the idea is based on the matter that BMW and Mini EV batteries have a warranty of eight years or 100,000 miles. The manufacturer claims that following this period, the battery could still retain up to 80 per cent of its initial capacity. While this would not be optimal for use in another EV, this is still a considerable amount of energy storage to throw out.
“BMW Group will have 25 electrified models on the roads by 2023 – half of them fully electric,” said Graeme Grieve, CEO BMW Group UK, “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 further underlined their commitment with their choice of partner, as Danny Jones, Managing Director Off Grid Energy added: “Off Grid Energy’s business model has been built with sustainability at its core, from the way we make our products and the materials we use, through to the environmental impact of our technology.”
Regarding future planning, the partners see the potential for growth in terms of battery size and charge capacities. “As more battery modules become available over time, systems will be built with a capacity of up to 180kWh and able to provide multiple charges at rates of up to 50kW,” says the BMW Group.
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