Hyundai has announced a technology and commercial partnership with energy systems integrator Wärtsilä to utilize second-life electric vehicle batteries for the energy storage market. The partnership will develop advanced energy storage products and platforms that use second-life Hyundai EV batteries in Wärtsilä’s existing customer and channel networks.
Targeted at utility-scale and commercial applications, the partnership will seek to establish a continuous, global supply chain that combines Hyundai’s key relationships and expertise with Wärtsilä’s energy systems experience.
“Energy storage is the logical next step in the aftermarket use of EV batteries,” said Dr Youngcho Chi, executive vice president of strategy and technology division and chief innovation officer of Hyundai Motor Group.
“By repurposing resource-intensive products like EV batteries, we eliminate disposal costs and extend the value of the R&D investment that goes into manufacturing the technology. HMG is strengthening its leadership in clean technology and sustainability by participating in the new energy business.”
“Wärtsilä, through the capabilities and integration experience of Greensmith Energy, will develop a cleaner and more powerful approach to second-life battery applications for Hyundai Motor Group,” added Javier Cavada, president of Wärtsilä Energy Solutions.
“Our strategic partnership with Hyundai Motor Group represents the lifecycle vision Wärtsilä strives to deliver to our customers and partners around the world. Incorporating second-life-EV batteries into our energy and integration business underscores our deep commitment to building sustainable societies with smart technologies.”
Hyundai Motor Group is developing a 1MWh-level ESS (energy storage system) that utilizes Hyundai Ioniq Electric and Kia Soul EV second-life batteries by using its proprietary technology and has implemented a demonstration project in Hyundai Steel’s factory.
Wärtsilä company Greensmith Energy started operations in the USA, and has deployed over 70 grid-scale systems across nine countries around the world. It offers an industry-leading energy software platform called GEMS, now in its fifth generation.
Greensmith is accelerating its reach into an expanding global market for programmable energy storage and playing a key role in Wärtsilä’s vision to enable the growth and transition toward renewables through flexibility, reliability and integration.
