Instead of throwing them away, or rather recycling them, BMW has devised a way to make the best out of used battery packs from its EV.

The German company revealed a domestic energy storage system solution that’s made out of said battery packs from the i3 at the Electric Vehicle Symposium & Exhibition 29 in Montreal.

BMW says it is “the first automotive manufacturer to utilize a complete automotive high-voltage battery for energy storage”, with the system able to use both new and re-purposed i3 batteries.

“The remarkable advantage for BMW customers in using BMW i3 batteries as a plug and play storage application is the ability to tap into an alternative resource for residential and commercial backup power, thus using renewable energy much more efficiently, and enabling additional revenues from the energy market,” said Cliff Fietzek, Manager Connected eMobility at BMW of North America.

BMW did not disclose when the system will become available, only that is market-ready and can store energy produced from solar panels. With the average daily household energy usage in the US being between 15 to 30 kWh, the i3 battery pack with its 22kWh or 33kWh capacity is ideally suited to provide sufficient power to a house for up to 24 hours.

The new system is part of the i 360 Electric which features products for home and public charging, assistance services, and flexible mobility and is sized so it can fit in the basement or the garage of a detached house, where it can either be used for the home’s needs or for charging the battery of an electric car.

The Charged Forward pilot study focuses on the relationship between home EV charging and the energy grid, working with nearly 100 i3 owners in the San Francisco Bay Area. The goal is to demonstrate how intelligent management of EV charging can contribute to optimizing electric power grid efficiency, and thus is expected to reduce total cost of electric vehicle ownership.

This includes a managed charged pilot program for the i3s involved, with the owners allowing BMW to delay or interrupt the charging of their cars by up an hour during peak grid loads, and the aforementioned home energy storage system.

“With a battery storage system electrified by BMW i, our customers can take the next step towards a sustainable energy lifestyle. Coupled with the home charging and solar energy programs, the system enables BMW drivers to embrace holistic sustainability beyond e-mobility,” said Rob Healey, Manager of EV Infrastructure for BMW North America.

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