Former fleet EV batteries are being used to power new electric vans in a project in the North East.

L-R: Ian Lilley, strategic facilities manager for North Tyneside Council, with Matthew Lumsden, CEO and founder of Connected Energy

North Tyneside Council is revitalising its Killingworth Site depot in a multi-million-pound project to futureproof the site for sustainability and energy efficiency.

Supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF, the depot now features a solar PV array and car ports delivering 700 kilowatts at peak and generating around 600,00kW/h of electricity per annum.

Over 40 electric vehicle chargers will also be installed over the coming months, with more to follow as the authority transitions a significant part of its fleet to EV over the next few years.

The council realised that 15% of the solar energy generated by the project would head back to the grid, as it had no way of storing the excess energy created during daylight hours – and this electricity could be used to charge its electric vans at night.

It turned to Connected Energy in nearby Newcastle for a solution. The firm’s battery energy storage system (BESS) uses batteries from end-of-life electric vans, giving them a second life. It’s already used to support solar storage and EV charging across the UK and Europe.

Ian Lillie, strategic facilities manager for North Tyneside Council, with responsibility for the depot, said: “E-STOR repurposes batteries from end-of-life electric vans, so the ability to power the vans of the future using batteries from the vans of the past was a compelling argument for us. On top of that, the scalability of the E-STOR solution means we can ramp up our use of BESS on site as the council expands its own EV fleet.”

Other benefits include the ability to use E-STOR during the winter to store energy from the grid on lower tariffs at night, to use during the day.

Lillie continued: “The combination of solar and BESS should significantly reduce our electricity bills while also cutting carbon emissions from our energy consumption.”

Connected Energy’s intelligent management system enables E-STOR to integrate with solar PV, the grid, and other smart technology, such as building management systems. This means E-STOR can balance a site’s energy needs, reduce energy bills, and make the most of on-site renewables.

Matthew Lumsden, CEO and founder of Connected Energy, said: “The concept for our systems came from our work in the North East on a number of electric vehicle trials and driven by the mission to find a second-life use for EV batteries.

“We now have over 30 systems operating across the UK and Europe – however this will be our first installation in the North-East. We’re proud to see a system in action so close to our HQ and look forward to seeing the benefits it will bring to the location.”

North Tyneside Council and Connected Energy are hosting an open day for any business that would like to find out more about battery energy storage. The event takes place on 14 June. For more details, contact [email protected]