Webasto uses second-life battery storage at its Schierling plant

Automotive supplier Webasto has integrated a battery storage system for its plant's energy supply in southeast Germany. Thirty used commercial vehicle batteries temporarily store electricity from the company's own solar power system to make the plant's energy supply more sustainable.

webasto 2nd life speicher schierling 2024 — Image: Webasto

According to the press release, the battery storage system at the Schierling plant has an energy content of one-megawatt hour. It uses 30 discarded “CV standard batteries,” Webasto writes. In other words, each module has an energy content of around 33 kWh. Most come from pre-series production and are now used for energy storage.

The storage unit is installed in a container, where the batteries can be easily installed or replaced using slide-in options. The storage system is connected to the building management system via Ethernet and can thus be controlled as part of the plant’s energy management system. The primary task is storing self-generated solar power from the plant’s PV system (750 kWp). However, the batteries are also connected to the power grid via a low-voltage main distribution board in the energy centre should flexible power be required from the grid.

The 1 MWh storage container that has been put into operation will not be the end of the story. In the press release, the supplier announces that four additional containers, each with a capacity of four megawatt-hours, are planned. These will be built in several expansion stages – “depending on energy requirements and the availability of second-life batteries.”

Webasto has been manufacturing battery systems in Schierling since 2019 – from purchased cells. The aforementioned battery for commercial vehicles has been built since 2020. In addition to battery systems, Webasto manufactures roof systems for various customers at the above-mentioned factory.

“With the commissioning of our battery storage system at the Schierling plant, we are sending a strong signal for sustainable management and resource efficiency,” says plant manager Christian Gallner. “By utilising used batteries as second-life batteries, we are extending their life cycle and actively contributing to the circular economy. This is a further step in our strategy of acting in an ecologically and economically sustainable manner.”

webasto.com (in German)