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July 15,2022,Zwickau, Germany- Volkswagen is embarking on a pilot project for the reuse of batteries from ID.3 and ID.4 which have reached the end of their service lives. The aim is to promote the buildup of fast-charging infrastructure in residential areas . 96 MEB cells modules were reused in the project.
At the Zwickau plant, Volkswagen built the first fast-charging park in Saxony, which is supplied with energy largely from a so-called power storage container (PSC). The PSC is a type of enormous electricity storage unit and consists of 96 cell modules with a net capacity of 570 kWh.
The advantage is that fast-charging infrastructure can be built nearly anywhere, even if in places with a low-capacity grid connection. Residential areas are one example of where this could be used. Additionally, this solution is sustainable: all the cell modules in the PSC were formerly installed as batteries in pre-production models of the ID.3 and ID.4 and have now been given a second life
With the pilot project, Volkswagen Sachsen is putting its technology expertise on display. Two other central German companies – AW Automotive and Automotive Research – were involved in the realization of the project.
Karen Kutzner,MD for finance and controlling at Volkswagen Sachsen: “Reusing batteries is important for the future and it’s closely linked to the acceleration in the trend toward electric mobility. With the power storage container, Volkswagen Sachsen is demonstrating a practical, cost-effective and useful case to enable cell modules at the end of their service lives to have a second life. This automotive power bank could be used wherever the capacity of the grid connection is too low but there is demand for powerful charging infrastructure. Innovative ideas like this could provide renewed impetus for the critical buildup of fast-charging infrastructure.
The charging park at the west gate of the Zwickau plant has four charging stations, each with an output of 150 kW, which can also be divided into two outputs of 75 kW. This means that up to eight vehicles can charge at the same time. The electricity comes from the adjacent photovoltaic installation, among other sources. Three fast-charging parks will be in operation on the plant grounds by the end of the year.
