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Ibil and Repsol have developed EV charging stations that recycle EV batteries to provide battery-backed charging capacities.
- These systems are optimised to reduce grid dependency for electric charging by 70% and could be useful in locations where assessing grid electricity is a challenge.
Multinational energy company Repsol and Spain-based EV charging station installer Ibil, have developed an electric vehicle charging station that utilises second-life batteries from electric vehicles. Spanish inverter maker Ingeteam was responsible for installing the 50 kW fast recharge point and the battery inverter.
According to both companies’ joint statement, the project has numerous benefits; it will allow for 50 kW fast charging in locations where it would otherwise not be feasible (e.g. places lacking electrical connections or where investment costs for power production are high). The company noted that as a result of the second-life batteries, the energy required from the grid to power the charging station was reduced by 70 per cent and a 50 kW fast charging point can be connected via a mains connection of only 15 kW. Real-time system monitoring ensures that the system optimises grid and battery capacities when charging.
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The small space required by the storage module – less than one square meter- also significantly reduces the infrastructure’s operating costs by up to 50% according to the developers. .The development also promotes a circular renewable energy sector as it provides a “second life” for electric bus batteries, enabling a circular and sustainable renewable energy industry.
This installation is incorporated into Repsol’s electric recharging network, which already has more than 250 access points, of which 70 are fast charging and 2 offer ultra-fast charging.
In 2019, Ingeteam supplied Europe’s most powerful electric vehicle recharging system for Repsol-Ibil. The project included 4 terminals capable of an ultra-fast charge at 400 kW; allowing EV batteries to be fully recharged in under ten minutes.