Waymo is giving old robotaxi batteries a second life on the electric grid. The self-driving car company is partnering with B2U Storage Solutions to repurpose thousands of retired EV batteries into large-scale energy storage systems for solar power.
Waymo’s autonomous ride-hail vehicles wear through batteries faster than personal electric vehicles because they spend far more time on the road. Adam Lenz, Waymo’s Head of Sustainability and Environment, told WSJ Pro Sustainable Business that the company’s vehicles are “shared and highly utilized,” creating a faster supply of batteries ready for reuse.
Under the partnership, B2U buys retired batteries, tests them, and places dozens of units into nine-foot-tall steel cabinets that resemble small shipping containers. The systems store excess solar and wind power when supply is high and demand is low, then release that energy back to wholesale power markets during periods of higher demand.
B2U CEO Freeman Hall said one cabinet can power an average home for up to three months. The company estimates that each reused battery can add $8,000 to $10,000 in additional electric power value.
The initial rollout will focus on California and Texas, where solar energy is abundant. B2U has been repurposing EV batteries since 2020 and has previously worked with automakers including Nissan and Tesla.
The program gives Waymo a way to reduce battery waste while supporting the same power grids its electric fleet depends on. “By deploying EV batteries for beneficial second use, we can source renewable energy for our fleet,” Lenz said.