Ibil and irizar will push for electric bus batteries to have a second life storing energy at charging points
30 October 2019
Via the collaboration agreement that both companies have signed, batteries will get a second life and will duplicate their useful life.
Through the collaboration, after their useful lives in buses has ended, the batteries Irizar produces and installs in their buses, and the power electronics they use, will be reused as storage elements in the electric vehicle charging stations that Ibil is deploying in Repsol service stations.
Electric mobility solution development pioneers Ibil and Irizar signed a collaboration agreement that will grant a second life to electric bus batteries.
Under the agreement signed by the companies, the batteries Irizar produces and installs in its buses, and their power electronics, will be reused as energy storage elements in charging facilities that Ibil is developing and deploying for Respol service stations and others.
Batteries are the most fundamental part of an electric vehicle. The range, price, charging speed and useful life of the vehicle depend on them. The useful life of batteries can reach 15 years for urban electric buses, because they are charged daily and at high power. After that time has passed, the accumulators need to be replaced in order for the vehicle to maintain its original functionality. The end of the first life, however, does not mean that the batteries have lost all their charging capacity. So, far from discarding the batteries and in service of their commitment to the environment and the circular economy, sustainable reuse in charging station storage applications will be introduced for stabilising energy demands when vehicles are charged at high power.
Irizar and Ibil have the solution to this situation. Batteries with a second life can be installed in Ibil charging points to store energy such that it can be used to achieve a the following goals. It can reduce the power needed from the electrical grid, thus bringing down both operation and infrastructure costs. And it also makes it possible to deploy high power charging infrastructures, even in places where connecting to the electrical grid is more costly and complex. In addition, with that kind of charging infrastructure using storage back up, distributed photovoltaic power generation can be integrated into the system to generate power locally.
About Irizar
Irizar is a business group with an international presence, which is currently involved in six sectors - passenger transport, electromobility, electronics, electric motors and generators, connectivity and energy.
The Irizar Group is comprised of 7 brands (Irizar, Irizar e-mobility, Alconza, Datik, Hispacold, Masats and Jema) that have production operations in 13 production plants in Spain, Morocco, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa in addition to its own R&D centre.
It is a Group made up of more than 3300 people, with a commercial presence on all five continents and with a turnover of more than 700 million euros. Irizar's headquarters are located in Ormaiztegi, Gipuzkoa, where Creatio, the Group's Research and Development Centre, is also located. Founded in 1889, the continuously growing group is geographically and industrially diversified and is decidedly committed to the brand, technology and sustainability.
About Ibil
Ibil was created in 2009 as the outcome of a collaboration agreement between the EVE, the Basque Energy Entity (Ente Vasco de la Energía) and Repsol with the goal of providing energy and mobility services, creating a charging network for electric vehicles and developing sustainability initiatives.
Currently, Ibil is the leading company in technology for charging electric vehicles in Spain and Portugal. They also lead the development of the largest charging network in Spain with Repsol.
Likewise, Ibil and Red Eléctrica have signed a collaboration agreement to promote integrating ultra-fast charging for electric vehicles into the system. The goal is to promote electric mobility in Spain through developing ultra-fast charging infrastructure and new tools that help the stability of the system in a way that returns power to the grid.