Waymo has signed an agreement with energy storage company B2U to repurpose batteries from retired robotaxis for electricity storage projects in California and Texas.
The deal provides insight into how the Alphabet-owned autonomous driving company plans to manage batteries from its growing fleet of electric robotaxis.
Second life for robotaxi batteries
Waymo said the partnership will support the deployment of hundreds of megawatts of storage capacity, though it did not disclose additional details.
Most of Waymo’s current robotaxi fleet consists of Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicles.
The company has also begun deploying a limited number of vehicles built by Chinese automaker Zeekr.
Focus on battery reuse
B2U specializes in giving used electric vehicle batteries a second life instead of sending them directly for recycling.
Battery repurposing has emerged as a growing segment within the energy storage industry, with companies seeking to extend the useful life of EV batteries by using them to support power grids.
Growing industry trend
Several companies are pursuing similar strategies.
Among them is Redwood Materials, the battery recycling and materials company founded by former Tesla Chief Technology Officer JB Straubel.
Redwood recently launched its own second-life battery storage business using retired electric vehicle batteries.
Alphabet, Waymo’s parent company, is among the investors backing Redwood Materials.
TL;DR
Waymo has partnered with B2U to reuse batteries from retired robotaxis for energy storage projects in California and Texas. The company said the collaboration could provide hundreds of megawatts of storage capacity.
AI summary
- Waymo has partnered with battery storage company B2U.
- Retired robotaxi batteries will be repurposed for grid storage.
- Projects will support electricity grids in California and Texas.
- Most of Waymo’s fleet currently uses Jaguar I-Pace EVs.
- Battery reuse is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to recycling.
