Jaguar reuses old I-PACE batteries for energy storage units

Called the Off Grid Battery Energy Storage System (ESS), the technology developed in partnership with Pramac – which features lithium-ion cells from Jaguar I-PACE batteries from prototype and engineering test vehicles – supplies zero-emission power where access to the mains supply is limited or unavailable.

The system has a capacity of up to 125kWh – more than enough to fully charge a Jaguar I-PACE, or to power a family home for a week.

Available for commercial hire, the units are fitted with Type 2 EV charge connections and rated at up to 22kW AC to allow electric vehicle charging.

To showcase its capability, the unit helped Jaguar TCS Racing prepare for the 2022 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship during testing in the UK and Spain, where it was used to run the team’s diagnostic equipment analysing the race cars’ track performance, and to supply auxiliary power to the Jaguar pit garage.

An Off Grid Battery ESS will also be deployed at Jaguar Land Rover Experience Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa – the world’s biggest – to help the site cope with inconsistent power delivery from the mains.

Pramac re-uses up to 85% of the vehicle battery supplied by Jaguar Land Rover within the storage unit, including modules and wiring. The remaining materials are recycled back into the supply chain.

The partnership is the first in Jaguar Land Rover’s plans to create new circular economy business models for its vehicle batteries. As part of its commitment to net zero status by 2039, the company will be launching programmes that deliver second life and beyond uses for its electric vehicle batteries.

Second-life battery supply for stationary applications, such as renewable energy storage, could exceed 200 gigawatt-hours per year by 2030, creating a global value over $30 billion.

Jaguar will become all-electric from 2025, and the first all-electric Land Rover model is expected in 2024.