Toyota batteries stabilise Mazda power grid
For the tests, Mazda’s main campus power supply system and Toyota’s system, which uses batteries from electric vehicles, are linked via their respective energy management systems. According to Mazda, it is the only carmaker in Japan to operate its own power generation system along with a dedicated grid – a combination of a conventional power plant and solar PV systems.
Neither carmaker has disclosed details of the storage unit under test. Figures on size, capacity, number of cells or overall performance remain unknown, and both companies are equally vague about the origin of the batteries. They only confirm that Toyota’s unit uses cells from “electrified vehicles.”
In the future, the storage system will balance power supply and demand from renewable energy sources, which fluctuate depending on the weather and time of day. Through the now interconnected energy management systems, the companies want to verify “stable, high-quality, and efficient charging and discharging.” Mazda adds that the Hiroshima tests will help establish a battery ecosystem.
Toyota already has experience in setting up and operating second-life battery storage using retired EV batteries. Back in 2022, the company launched such a storage unit with Japanese utility Jera – using retired batteries from hybrid, plug-in hybrid, all-electric and fuel cell vehicles.
This article was first published by Sebastian Schaal for electrive’s German edition.
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