Kia Europe and Encore DB Secondlife cooperation: reuse of electric car batteries as energy storage devices

Kia Europe has agreed a partnership with Encore DB. The start-up company of Deutsche Bahn (DB Bahnbau Group) recycles electric vehicle batteries from all over Europe to produce and distribute so-called second-life battery storage systems. To do this, the used batteries are dismantled and the individual battery modules are then subjected to a thorough inspection. Depending on the remaining capacity, the modules are then either used in the new energy storage systems or recycled.

Kia Europe is the first mobility provider to collaborate with Encore DB on this Europe-wide initiative. The two companies presented the prototype of a battery storage system at the EUREF campus in Berlin in August. It consists entirely of reused battery modules from the Kia Soul EV electric crossover, which the brand launched back in 2014.

Kia is a pioneer in e-mobility and aims to be a leader in sustainable mobility solutions. The company has unveiled plans to develop purpose-built vehicles (PBVs), autonomous driving technologies and various pioneering concepts that will set standards. Each of the brand’s models is developed with a “cradle to cradle” approach that takes into account end-of-life processes and resource recycling. Therefore, Kia has been looking for alternatives to battery recycling, favouring second-life projects to extend the useful life of batteries through new applications. Encore DB already operates a Europe-wide battery take-back service for the production of second-life storage systems, which is facilitated by the extensive infrastructure within the Deutsche Bahn Group. The transport of the used batteries and the new energy storage systems is primarily carried out by the logistics subsidiary DB Schenker as well as DB Cargo.