Daimler: World’s largest 2nd-use battery storage unit will soon go into operation in the Westphalian town of Lüne

• Cooperation between Daimler, The Mobility House, GETEC and REMONDIS completes the battery value creation cycle
• Re-use of electric vehicle batteries improves environmental performance and the lifecycle costs of e-mobility
• 13-megawatt battery storage unit to connect to the grid in early 2016
• Levelling out fluctuations in the power grid as an active contribution towards the energy revolution

Lünen/Stuttgart, 4-11-2015 — /EuropaWire/ — The world’s largest 2nd-use battery storage unit will soon go into operation in the Westphalian town of Lünen. A joint venture between Daimler AG, The Mobility House AG and GETEC, it will be operated from the beginning of next year at the site of REMONDIS SE and marketed in the German electricity balancing sector. A special feature of this venture is the use of second-life battery systems from electric vehicles. In Lünen, systems from the second generation of smart electric drive vehicles are being incorporated into a stationary storage unit with a total capacity of 13 MWh. The process demonstrably improves the environmental performance of electric vehicles, thereby helping to make e-mobility more economically efficient.

Under the banner of ‘E-Mobility thought to the end’, Daimler, The Mobility House, GETEC and REMONDIS are mapping out the entire battery value creation and recycling chain with their project in Lünen: from the manufacture and reprocessing of battery systems at the Daimler subsidiary ACCUMOTIVE, the corresponding range of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles from Daimler AG, and the installation and marketing of stationary battery storage units in the energy markets by The Mobility House and GETEC, through to recycling the battery systems at the end of their lifecycle and feeding the valuable raw materials back into the production cycle, which will be the future responsibility of REMONDIS.

High-performance battery storage units are an important component in the successful transition to renewable energy. With an increasing supply of electricity from fluctuating renewable energies, such as wind farms or solar power stations, they are the key to stabilising power grids. They can be used to level out energy fluctuations with virtually no loss – a role that is partly fulfilled by fossil power plants at present. This can help to speed up the energy revolution and eliminates the cost of expanding the grid and building new power plants.

With their 2nd-use battery storage project in Lünen, the four partners are proving that the lifecycle of a plug-in or electric vehicle battery does not end after its automotive application. Depending on the model, Daimler AG guarantees its electric vehicle customers a battery life of up to ten years*. However, the battery systems are still fully operational after this point, as the low levels of power loss are only of minor importance when used in stationary storage. It is estimated that the unit can operate efficiently in a stationary application for at least another ten years.

This temporarily delays the final phase of the value chain: material recycling. Re-use of the lithium-ion modules from electric cars in 2nd-use battery storage units practically doubles their commercial service life.
* Example: smart electric drive with sale&care package

Project partners
Daimler AG is one of the world’s most successful automotive companies. The Mercedes-Benz brand stands for high-quality vehicles that fascinate and delight customers. The company is also the world’s largest producer of commercial vehicles, operating in a variety of business sectors. Together with its subsidiary ACCUMOTIVE, it entered the stationary energy storage sector in May 2015 – covering both industrial mass storage and private applications.

The Mobility House AG (TMH) is revolutionising the energy markets with vehicle batteries: using innovative technologies, TMH is making it possible to integrate electric vehicles into the power grid. In Lünen, TMH is working with GETEC to install and operate the storage unit – and to sell the electricity to energy markets. TMH was founded in 2009 and collaborates with all leading automotive manufacturers in more than 20 countries from its sites in Munich, Zurich and San Francisco.

Part of the energy service provider GETEC, GETEC ENERGIE AG develops individual, tailored solutions for the supply of electricity and gas. It also markets electricity. Together with TMH, GETEC is a shareholder in Coulomb GmbH.

REMONDIS SE is one of the world’s largest recycling, service and water companies. REMONDIS aims, among other things, to recycle lithium-ion batteries on an industrial scale in the future. The group operates in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia to provide a sustainable supply of raw materials and water.

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Madeleine Herdlitschka
Research & Development Communications
Future Powertrain Communications
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E-mobility thought to the end: Daimler and partners are mapping out the entire battery value creation and recycling chain.