Nissan Australia has recently announced that they will repurpose old EV batteries from its Leaf line to power its Dandenong Casting Plant.
Called the Nissan Node project, it will be done in partnership with Relectrify, a battery developer based in Melbourne. The repurposed Leaf batteries will be incorporated into a new battery energy storage system that is charged via a solar array.
The energy generated from the system will be used to power a portion of the production of components for Nissan’s global EV models. It will also be used to supply power to the new EV chargers used to recharge staff vehicles.
“This isn’t just a hugely exciting project, but an important step into the future for end-of-life EV batteries,” said Nissan Casting Australia’s Managing Director, Peter Jones.
As an early pioneer of the electric vehicle both globally and locally, we can also demonstrate leadership in second-life battery initiatives. I’m proud that this solution is every bit as innovative as the launch of the Leaf in Australia was more than 10 years ago,” Mr. Jones added.
“Already the Nissan Leaf comes with vehicle-to-grid technology from factory, which will allow Australian EV owners to use their vehicle to power their homes and could be used to help stabilise the electricity grid, but commercial circular economy projects like this are a viable, sustainable and innovative solution for end-of-life EV batteries, too.”
According to Nissan Australia, this project can reduce annual C02 emissions at the Casting plant by approximately 259 tons, while saving 128 megawatts of energy every year. It is expected to be completed this year.
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