May 3, 2024

|

Dallas

TX

United States

• Partnership to investigate how to recover, repair and repurpose used EV batteries from UK salvage operators for second life applications
• Essential environmental project will help create a sustainable circular energy economy
• Supports Nissan’s aim to achieve carbon neutrality across all operations and the lifecycle of its products by 2050

Used electric vehicle batteries will be given a second life in the UK, thanks to a new partnership between Nissan and Ecobat Solutions UK Ltd.

The two companies are working together to investigate how EV batteries, from Nissan LEAFs that are no longer on the road, can be located within the UK salvage network and then be safely recovered, repaired, recycled or repurposed to create a sustainable circular energy economy.

Having launched the LEAF electric vehicle back in 2011, Nissan has the longest history with electric vehicles in the UK and is keen to establish a lead in the processing of used EV batteries – an industry that is expected to grow dramatically in the coming years.

The Strategic Pilot Agreement combines Nissan’s battery expertise and Ecobat’s recycling knowledge and will investigate ways of commercialising the process of locating, safely transporting, dismantling, repairing and repurposing EV batteries for second life usage. Uniquely, Nissan could also then offer those second life products to market with the added reassurance of an official manufacturer warranty.

The project also supports Nissan’s aim to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 across its operations and the lifecycle of its products.

“We are working together with Ecobat to assess how we engage with salvage operators, manage transportation, test, repair and reuse electric vehicle batteries in order to understand the commercial value chain, " said Alan Low, EV Battery Circular Economy Manager at Nissan Energy Services. “These are batteries from cars that have been dismantled due to old age or that have been written off by insurers, however the batteries themselves still have an opportunity to be reused. They still have a useful life ahead of them, so we need to create a sustainable way of recovering them. Nissan takes its obligations seriously and is keen to recover batteries in a good state of health from any LEAF batteries that are no longer required.”

Once located, batteries are assessed and recovered to Ecobat’s Darlaston base, near Birmingham, using specialist vehicles. Here, further checks are carried out based on Nissan expertise and processes to determine their long term safety and performance, allowing Nissan to identify suitable second life applications, including:

• Battery Energy Storage Systems – emergency power backup, power balancing
• Mobile power charging systems

Batteries that don’t make the grade will be safely prepared for recycling.

“We provide a specialist offering for battery handling, with highly skilled engineers that are trained to work on high voltage batteries, in full compliance with UK battery regulations," said Tom Seward, EU Key Accounts Director (Northern & UK) at Ecobat Solutions UK Ltd, said. “This is a critical piece of the EV sustainability picture that has real environmental benefits. We even recover any energy stored in the salvaged battery and use it to provide power to the onsite EV charger network at our site.”

Since opening in 2021, Ecobat’s UK Diagnostic and Disassembly Centre has processed over 6,000 batteries and performance graded more than 14,000 modules. This year, the company will open its third Li-Ion recycling facility in the UK, further increasing the amount of batteries that can be processed in the UK.

About Nissan

As the first manufacturer to sell a mass-market EV Nissan has pioneered electric mobility in the UK since the launch of the all-electric LEAF in 2011. Since then more than 80,000 Nissan electric vehicles have been sold in the UK with the majority coming from Sunderland-based vehicle and battery manufacturing facilities.

For more information about Nissan's products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit nissan-global.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and see all our latest videos on YouTube.

About Ecobat

Ecobat is the world's largest battery recycler. With decades of experience recycling and producing lead acid battery materials, Ecobat is now applying its global capability, infrastructure and market knowledge towards recycling lithium-ion battery materials. For more information on how we are transforming energy storage, visit www.ecobat.com.