A project exploring the use of second-life batteries in a commercial-scale lithium-ion energy storage system (ESS) is being conducted in Germany.
The joint project by MAN Truck & Bus (MAN), Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein (VHH) and the Volkswagen Group has connected a 500kWh ESS to the charging network at VHH’s depot.
The project in the Bergedorf quarter of Hamburg will test second-life electric vehicle batteries under real-world operating conditions.
The system, housed in a container, uses 50 9.9 kWh used VW Passat GTE vehicle batteries mounted on racks and interconnected via battery management.
Different scenarios will be tested in order to optimise power consumption at the VHH depot. These include improved utilisation of the network and peak shaving when charging electric buses.
Alexander Adler, responsible for the second use energy storage system project at MAN, said: “With the peak shaving method, the storage system can reduce up to 600kW of peak load.”
The partners also anticipate new findings on the ageing behaviour of the batteries, on efficient battery management and on the life cycles of future battery technologies.
The “second use” energy storage system is the product of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) which VHH and MAN Truck & Bus signed in March 2018.
Testing of the second use ESS is taking place as part of the mobility partnership between the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and the Volkswagen Group – which MAN is also part of.