Forsee Power & Connected Energy to roll out second-life stationary storage system in Europe
Connected Energy and Forsee Power have now extended their partnership that began in 2021 to develop a grid-scale energy storage system using battery packs from electric buses that have completed their first life. The second life of an automotive battery can reach up to 10 additional years. As mentioned above, this will combine Connected Energy’s second-life technology with Forsee Power’s ZEN 35 and ZEN 42 battery packs, which are used in around 1,500 electric buses in Europe.
Christophe Gurtner, Chairman & CEO of Forsee Power explained, “Our company’s vision is to develop a sustainable battery ecosystem to maximise the value of our batteries throughout their lifetime (…) Forsee Power, the leader of battery systems for buses outside of China, has equipped more than 4,200 buses. Thus, we have and will have access to a significant number of batteries once they complete their first life. As a consequence, the potential is huge.”
The first 2.5 MWh system is scheduled for operation in the UK in the final quarter of 2025. The partners are anticipating further projects that will typically exceed 25MWh to follow in the UK and France.
Connected Energy was founded in 2010 and has installed second-life battery energy storage systems across Europe. Mathew Lumsden, CEO of Connected Energy explains that the best way to realise the value in batteries is through partnerships that span the value chain.
“This agreement with Forsee Power represents a significant step forward in delivering a new second-life economy for EV batteries. The availability of second-life batteries is increasing rapidly,” noted Lumsden.
The agreement also includes the development of an operating model to facilitate future large-scale commercial deployment. The two companies are planning to deploy the second-life stationary storage solutions across Europe.
Last year, UK specialists Altilium and Connected Energy announced they are developing sustainable business models for reusing and recycling electric car batteries. The same year, Connected Energy installed its second-life battery energy storage systems at two Volvo Truck & Bus dealer sites in the UK.
In 2024, Forsee Power delivered battery systems for Bozankaya in Turkey, to build its trolley buses, opened its North American headquarters and inaugurated a battery factory in Ohio, USA, and was contracted by Wrightbus to supply batteries to convert 1,000 diesel buses to electric drive over the next three years.
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