Repurposing used EV batteries: JSW MG Motor join hands with Vision Mechatronics

JSW MG Motor India on Friday announced joining hands with Vision Mechatronics to repurpose old electric vehicle batteries with a domestic battery management system for use in large-scale energy storage.

The collaboration with Vision Mechatronics, a technology firm specialising in second-life batteries, will first focus on a UPS backup solution, with the first product already installed for an industrial site in Pune to show the adaptability and usefulness of second-life EV batteries.

Under the agreement, JSW MG Motor India will offer Vision Mechatronics with EV batteries that are no longer roadworthy, which will be repurposed into a second-life large-scale energy storage application.

"With Vision Mechatronics we have done a 36 kilowatt UPS, which is going to be for industrial application...This one is using the cells of a battery which is not being used as such in the cars It's perfect in terms of repurposing of the battery and so this also tells us that the life of the battery doesn't end when the car journey ends," JSW MG Motor India Chief Growth Officer, Gaurav Gupta told PTI.

He went on to say that the unveiling of the project, a high-voltage second-life battery with an indigenous Battery Management System (BMS), "is indeed an innovation and makes us future-ready".

This program is intended to benefit many small and medium-sized businesses and corporations searching for cost-effective sustainable energy storage options, he said.

Gupta stated that this is the company's third pilot project, after the off-grid charging station with IIT Delhi and Batx, and the second pilot to deploy a 5kWh BESS in a Nainital school with Lohum and Teri.

These measures were carried out as part of the company's 'Project Revive,' which reiterated its commitment to deploying creative ways to recycle EV batteries, he said.

Rashi Gupta, Managing Director of Vision Mechatronics, stated that the reused batteries might be used for a variety of purposes, including UPS, diesel engine generator replacement, or backup.

Right now, the focus is on "UPS because it's a low-hanging fruit," she said, adding that in six months, the applications might be expanded.