JLR has collaborated with Off Grid Energy to produce a portable energy station using decommissioned batteries from its I-Pace electric car.
Jaguar Land Rover has announced a partnership with power system company Off Grid Energy to create a portable powerstation from disused I-Pace battery packs. The product will supplement JLR’s bid to become net carbon neutral by 2029, and utilises recycled battery units from prototype and development models that have degraded beyond the threshold for use in electric vehicles.
Called the gridtogo Battery Energy Storage System, or ESS for short, the 125kW lithium-ion pack is designed for use where there is no access to mains electricity, and can power a regular family home for seven days. The product reuses up to 85 per cent of the I-Pace’s battery, including its wiring and modules, and the leftover materials and components are themselves recycled.
Another element of the ESS’s sustainability credentials is the use of Off The Grid’s solar panels to charge the device, and the system is fitted with Type 2 electric car charging connections to top up EVs at charging speeds of up to 22kWh.
The portable powerstation is available for commercial hire, and was used to power Jaguar TCS Racing’s pit garage and vehicle diagnostic system during Formula E testing this year. The system will also be installed at the Jaguar Land Rover experience centre in Johannesburg, to compensate for inconsistent mains power delivery at the facility.
“The transition to an electric future, with Jaguar becoming all electric from 2025 and the first all electric Land Rover model expected in 2024, is integral to our sustainability strategy through the development of a comprehensive EV ecosystem from batteries to charging. This includes our effort to enable technical and business innovations for battery reuse for second life applications. Our collaboration with Off Grid Energy is a proof point in such direction, showing how it’s possible to supply zero emission power through the combination of renewables and second life batteries”.
Yousuf Ashraf