Thousands of used batteries from Waymo's autonomous robotaxi fleet could soon get a second life as stationary energy storage for power grids. The basis is a strategic supply agreement between Waymo and B2U Storage Solutions, announced on June 4.
B2U already has experience in reusing EV batteries in large storage projects. The facilities store excess renewable energy during low-demand periods and release it during peak demand.
Second Life for High-Performance Batteries
Freeman Hall, CEO of B2U, stated that his company aims to extract the full residual value from EV batteries once they are no longer suitable for vehicle use. Waymo replaces batteries during proactive maintenance to improve fleet efficiency. The exact average mileage before replacement was not disclosed, but Waymo robotaxis travel significantly more per day than normal EVs, accelerating degradation.
The collaboration includes both batteries from retired vehicles and those replaced during operation.
Comparison of Battery Usage
Outlook and Classification
The strategy is similar to Tesla's approach with its Supercharger standby storage. However, Waymo could deliver larger volumes of batteries faster due to high fleet utilization. The storage projects in California and Texas are expected to start in the low double-digit megawatt-hour range, but long-term reach hundreds of MWh.
More on robotaxis and energy storage: Tesla Cybercab: Extremely Efficient – but Questions and Hurdles Remain and Autonomous Vehicles Should Reduce Traffic Jams – What If They Don't?.