EVs could live forever

Illustration by KEVIN GROULX/QMI AGENCY

Opinion: Used electric car batteries for power back-up.

Ever since the arrival of electrified vehicles, there has been much concern raised about their batteries.

The sceptics are still trying to find out how long hybrid or EV batteries will last and how much it costs to replace them. Companies probably have a pretty good idea of both but don’t want to say for fears of plummeting sales. Conventional wisdom says they probably can expect a lifespan in the neighbourhood of 8-10 years at a present replacement cost in the $10,000-$15,000 range.

Still, we won’t know for sure until the first ones start needing replacement, which will likely be after about 150,000 km (give or take a couple 1,000s). The average Canadian drives 20,000 km per year (though EV owners will likely drive less around their urban centres) so it’s reasonable to assume 10 years after being purchased new (about the same as today’s conventional vehicles).

So, in the same time-frame you’d be considering a new car, you’re going to be considering replacing your electrified vehicle. The question then becomes, what happens to those used batteries (which with today’s technology, aren’t easily recycled).

A couple manufacturers who have quite a lot invested in electrified vehicles are suggesting that batteries that have lost their transportation usefulness can probably be used for back up power. Both GM and Nissan estimate that used batteries can hold a 70% charge, which is plenty of storage but not to provide useful vehicle power.

They claim a used battery can supply from six to 30 hours of electricity (depending on size and how much charge it can still hold), which would be enough to get most homes through a power outage (even a lengthy one).

It’s a neat proposition, if it comes to fruition, because it insures electricity stability. You don’t save any dollars because those batteries are just storing electricity, they aren’t making it, so you’re going to use the electricity regardless – you’re just storing it for a stormy day in a kilowatt savings bank.

So, does that mean EV owners can spend $15,000 each to drop new batteries into their vehicles, and then hook up the used ones as a home power back-up (like a universal power supply, I guess)? Or do they have to pay to dispose of the used batteries, which will then be bought by power corporations to supply back up power to entire neighbourhoods (with costs, of course, passed down to those same consumers)?

My guess would be the latter.

Tags: batteries, electric car, Electric vehicle, EV, Used car