A £2 million investment will establish the largest testing facility for second-life EV batteries to be used in energy storage applications.
Second-life battery energy storage system (BESS) specialist Connected Energy will construct the flagship facility with support from the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) in Norfolk.
The hub, at Scottow Enterprise Park in Norfolk, will test and integrate second-life batteries from electric bus and truck manufacturers into Connected Energy’s first wholly owned and operated 5MWh BESS site. Having secured planning permission for the project, Connected Energy said the site is due to come online by mid-2026.
CEO of Connected Energy Matthew Lumsden said: “Having successfully shown how second-life BESS can work on a commercial scale, we are now moving to owning and operating grid-scale storage sites, with our first site also functioning as an advanced test facility.”
Giving their batteries a second life enables EV manufacturers and other battery owners to further monetise their batteries for several years before they are recycled.
Connected Energy designs and develops systems that overcome grid capacity issues, maximise renewable energy use, and provide energy resilience, all using decommissioned EV batteries.
Having initially started with 300kW systems designed for smaller scale industrial and commercial applications, Connected Energy began scaling up through an APC-backed project led by Nissan.
The second-life BESS firm has partnerships with several automotive OEMs and has plans to develop projects across the UK and Europe.
