Repurposing EV batteries for off-grid use gains support in British Columbia

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British Columbia is a leader in the North American EV market, with light-duty EV sales representing 13% of all new light-duty vehicle sales in 2021. While transitioning to electric vehicles is important in achieving B.C.’s net-zero goal by 2050; however, the challenge of recycling or repurposing the batteries remains.

Vancouver-based Moment Energy is addressing that challenge by developing a reliable low-carbon energy storage system from repurposed EV batteries with $320,000 in support from the CleanBC Go Electric Advanced Research and Commercialization (ARC) program. The company is building and testing a 120kW/h battery pack using the Renewable Energy Storage Laboratory at Dalhousie University. When complete, the company will deploy the system in a B.C. off-grid diesel-dependent scuba diving resort to gain real-world performance and environmental data. The project is expected to create and sustain 11 full-time-equivalent jobs in B.C.

“By supporting innovation in clean tech, we are contributing to low-carbon economic recovery, helping realize our decarbonization potential and unlocking the innovation that B.C. has in store,” said Bruce Ralston, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation.

Based in Port Coquitlam, Moment Energy’s project is one of 17 projects under the second funding call of the ARC program, which invests more than $8 million toward projects that span all transportation modes, from boats to electric bikes and aviation, benefiting eight B.C. municipalities.

The ARC program supports B.C.’s EV sector by providing reliable, targeted support for research and development, commercialization and demonstration of B.C.-based EV technologies, services and products. This round of ARC project funding further leverages more than $18 million in industry and federal government investments and is expected to create and sustain approximately 175 full-time-equivalent jobs.

“This CleanBC project with Moment Energy will reduce the life-cycle environmental footprint of electric vehicles in our province and further our climate progress by finding creative new uses for older batteries to continue providing clean power,” said George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.

In November of last year, Moment Energy raised a $3.5 million seed round of funding, which co-founder and CEO Edward Chiang said would allow the company to deploy more up-cycled EV batteries to industries in need of clean and reliable energy.

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