AI's power crunch could get a boost from old EV batteries

America's fast-growing fleet of electric vehicles could go an unexpected root of energy retention arsenic the state races to meet surging powerfulness request from AI.

That's according to Redwood Materials, a startup founded by erstwhile Tesla CTO JB Straubel, which now recycles much than 70% of each the batteries successful North America.

With millions of EV batteries coming to the extremity of their lives complete the adjacent decade and beyond, Redwood has adapted its business to repurpose galore of these batteries to shop energy for the powerfulness grid, factories, and AI information centers alternatively than being instantly recycled.

The connection comes arsenic energy request is rising aft years of comparatively level growth. AI information centers, factories coming backmost to America, and a broader displacement toward electrification are putting expanding unit connected the US grid. Redwood cited projections that AI information centers unsocial could devour 12% of US energy by 2028.

Meeting that request has proved difficult because building caller transmission lines and different grid infrastructure takes galore years. Large artillery retention systems tin thief equilibrium energy proviso and request while utilities hold for caller infrastructure to travel online.

Redwood argues that 1 overlooked root of those batteries is already sitting successful American driveways.

More than 6 cardinal electrical vehicles person been sold successful the US complete the past decade. As those vehicles age, galore of their artillery packs will nary longer supply capable driving scope for cars, but could still person years of useful life storing electricity.

Redwood estimates astir 1 terawatt-hour, aliases 1,000 gigawatt-hours, of utilized EV artillery capacity will go disposable successful the US by 2040. Beginning successful the early 2030s, those second-life batteries could proviso astir half of the country's power retention request during that period, the institution estimates. And it's aiming to supply astir 400 gigawatt-hours of this supply.

The institution said it is processing exertion that allows artillery packs from much than 100 different electrical conveyance models to beryllium mixed into standardized power retention systems. Batteries that cannot beryllium safely reused would alternatively beryllium recycled to retrieve valuable materials specified arsenic lithium, copper, and uncommon world minerals.

Redwood said the attack could create lower-cost power retention while keeping artillery materials wrong US proviso chains.

If successful, the strategy would move aging EV batteries from a recycling situation into an power plus astatine a clip erstwhile reliable energy is becoming 1 of the biggest constraints connected America's AI ambitions.

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