Used electric car batteries for home use, it's coming.

waynefromnscanada

Nissan says it's Leaf batteries are expected to still have 80% life left after car is warn out and scrapped. Nissan is looking at off grid home use for those batteries:
http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1252994.html

Cariboocoot

Re: Used electric car batteries for home use, it's coming.

waynefromnscanada wrote: »

Nissan says it's Leaf batteries are expected to still have 80% life left after car is warn out and scrapped. Nissan is looking at off grid home use for those batteries:
http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1252994.html

Maybe they should build better cars that don't wear out so quickly.

waynefromnscanada

Re: Used electric car batteries for home use, it's coming.

Cariboocoot wrote: »

Maybe they should build better cars that don't wear out so quickly.

Hahaha Good point, but from the other point of view, I'm amazed that it appears battery technology has progressed to the point where batteries may now outlast the cars they're in. When did this happen? Have I been asleep?

Cariboocoot

Re: Used electric car batteries for home use, it's coming.

waynefromnscanada wrote: »

Hahaha Good point, but from the other point of view, I'm amazed that it appears battery technology has progressed to the point where batteries may now outlast the cars they're in. When did this happen? Have I been asleep?

No, you've just been buying good cars.

waynefromnscanada

Re: Used electric car batteries for home use, it's coming.

Cariboocoot wrote: »

No, you've just been buying good cars.

Haha It appears then, that I'm very blessed to drive Toyota, even if I did have to install a MASTER KILL switch on the dash. :p:p

icarus

70%

There are many documented cases of Toyota Prius' in taxi service going over 500,000 kms on the original battery. Remember, traction battery management is way better than simple alternator management of a FLA starting battery. In the Prius for example, the battery never discharges below ~ 50% nor charges more than ~70%, keeping the battery in the sweet spot of SoC for a great number of cycles.

T

waynefromnscanada

Re: Used electric car batteries for home use, it's coming.

Thanks for the info icarus! Obviously I haven't been paying attention to automotive battery advancements, and assumed the batteries would have to be replaced at least as often as conventional lead/acid batteries. Living in my own little world in the back woods sometimes breeds ignorance.

rollandelliott

Re: Used electric car batteries for home use, it's coming.

I don't think this is such a great idea.

It's already known that grid based systems are more economical than off grid battery based ones.

I agree, they should build the car better so it lasts longer, that would be the wisest thing to do instead of trying to re purpose the batteries.

waynefromnscanada

Re: Used electric car batteries for home use, it's coming.

rollandelliott wrote: »

It's already known that grid based systems are more economical than off grid battery based ones.

True, but there are those of us who for our own reasons, desire to be, or have to be off grid because of location or desire to feel independent and self sufficient. To some people, economics aren't the main driving force. Where I live, if we get a terrible winter storm (it does happen) that shuts everything down for days, it will really mean nothing to me as far as comfort and survivability is concerned. I'm totally self sufficient. Period. For all I know the grid power may be off now, I'd have to look out across the hills to see if I can see any street lights in the distance

westbranch

Re: Used electric car batteries for home use, it's coming.

from WIKI:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official range is 117 kilometres (73 mi), with an energy consumption of 765 kJ/km (34 kWh per 100 miles)

therefore there are ~ 24.8 Kwh in the battery
x 80% = 19.86 Kwh per set...
/ 24 V (nominal) = ~ 827.5Ah in the battery which should run an average house quite well.

Charging from Solar might be an issue

a potential source of reasonable battery banks that you can drive to the door...

I'm interested.

EJ

waynefromnscanada

Re: Used electric car batteries for home use, it's coming.

westbranch wrote: »

Charging from Solar might be an issue

That's what the car manufacturer (in the original link) is now working on, a solar charging system for the actual car, with technology that could be adapted for home use. Very interesting indeed.

Cariboocoot

Re: Used electric car batteries for home use, it's coming.

One day you may need it. Imagine a time when each household is allotted "X" kW hours per day and fed that power with a limit on the maximum Watts. Draw more; you get choked off. Exceed the limit; you get cut off. Your own personal world of brown-outs and black-outs. This would really help regulated loads on the grid.

You'll need your batteries and inverter then; something like the Xantrex with its load-sharing ability. Together they'd smooth out your demands on the grid on a house-by-house basis.

Goes together with the entirely independent industrial grid.

Now, am I joking? You decide.

westbranch

Re: Used electric car batteries for home use, it's coming.

Cariboocoot wrote: »

... power with a limit on the maximum Watts. Draw more; you get choked off. Exceed the limit; you get cut off. Your own personal world of brown-outs and black-outs. .......
.
Now, am I joking? You decide.

Shades off the SMART METER!