Nissan plan to sell used batteries on to wind farm developers

Electric car manufacturers are planning to give a second life to old batteries by selling them on to wind farm developers for use as a potentially cost-effective form of energy storage.

According to Sunday Times reports, Nissan is investigating pooling large numbers of old electric car batteries for use by renewable energy developers, who could use the technology to help cope with unreliable energy supplies.

Last October the company launched the 4R initiative with Sumitomo Corporation, detailing how it plans to "Reuse, Resell, Refabricate and Recycle" old batteries and is currently exploring how batteries could find a new life in the renewable sector.

The performance of electric car batteries deteriorates over time, but Nissan expects that lithium-ion cells it plans to use will retain up to 80 per cent of their residual capacity even after they are no longer useful for electric vehicles.

A company spokes person confirmed that the company was looking closely at the idea and was considering a business model for its soon-to-be-launched Nissan Leaf electric car that would see the firm lease out its electric batteries to motorists – ensuring that it retains ownership of the batteries.