Renault is latest automaker to unveil a Tesla Powerwall competitor with used batteries

As we recently noted when Mercedes-Benz launched its home battery pack, it seems that every other automaker, including Nissan and BMW, started leveraging their electric vehicle battery pack technology for residential energy storage since Tesla launched the Powerwall in 2015.

Now Renault is the latest automaker to do the same. The French automaker announced the new home battery pack system in partnership with Powervault today.

Unlike Tesla and Mercedes-Benz though, Renault’s Powervault is using used battery cells from its electric vehicles, like the Zoe. BMW has a similar offering.

Renault wrote in a press release:

“This partnership will reduce the cost of a Powervault smart battery unit by 30%, helping Powervault to bring home energy storage to the tipping point of mass-market roll-out in the UK.”

They are starting by deploying 50 units in the UK as a pilot program. The pack is the size of a kitchen appliance:

Nicolas Schottey, Program Director, EV batteries and infrastructures at Renault, explains:

“Thanks to this home energy storage partnership with Powervault, Renault is adding a new element into its global strategy for second life batteries, which already covers a large number of usages from industrial to residential building and districts. The second life use not only gives additional life to electric vehicle batteries before they are recycled, but also allow consumers to save money. It’s a win-win-win: for EV owners, home-owners and the planet.”

It’s a particularly interesting program for Renault since the automaker owns most of the battery packs in its electric vehicles.

Earlier this year, the French automaker announced that it has 100,000 electric vehicles with leased batteries on the road and they are offering those Zoe owners to upgrade to a new 41 kWh pack.

If successful, Renault could end up with tens of thousands of used battery packs with still some decent energy capacity in them. Normally, they would be recycled, but using them for home energy storage could prove a more efficient approach.