Jaguar reuses I-PACE batteries to create mini power station
Retired I-PACE cells combined with solar or wind could help business and home owners go off the gridJaguar Land Rover (JLR) has teamed up with Italian generator specialist Pramac to create a novel portable power station that's heavily based on recycled parts from the Jaguar I-PACE.
Claimed to be part of JLR's initiative to become net carbon neutral by 2039, the first mini power station borrowed parts from I-PACE prototypes and development mules that had batteries which had suffered degradation beyond the threshold suitable for EVs.
The resulting power station, dubbed the Off Grid Battery Energy Storage System (ESS), cobbles together enough I-PACE cells to form a 125kWh lithium-ion pack.
As well as using up to 95 per cent of an I-PACE's battery, the power station also uses its wiring and modules in its creation.
Developed for homes and businesses that have no access to mains electricity, the new power station is said to be able to supply the typical home for up to seven days.
The portable power station will also be used for commercial hire and has already been employed to support the British car-maker's Formula E race team when it was testing earlier this year.
One of the first customers of the ESS is Jaguar Land Rover's experience centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, which will use the mini power station to compensate for an erratic power grid.
The battery system can also charge both plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles at up to 22kW AC.
The ESS is also set to appeal to home owners and businesses which generate their own power using solar, wind or water turbines.
JLR tips the second-life batteries will become big business, with old pure-electric vehicle cells going on to store renewable energy at a rate of 200 gigawatt-hours per year by 2030, which will create an industry worth more than $US30 billion ($A42bn).
"This announcement is a great example of how we will collaborate with industry leaders to deliver our sustainable future and achieve a truly circular economy," said JLR's battery manager, Andrew Whitworth.
"We’re delighted to be working with Pramac to use Jaguar I-PACE second-life batteries to provide portable zero-emissions power, and supporting Jaguar TCS Racing this season was an excellent opportunity to demonstrate what these units are capable of."
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