A second life for EV batteries? Depends how long the first is

Zenobe's Founder Director Steven Meersman shows off one of the company's second-life battery energy storage units that contains part of a battery pack previously used on an electric bus at the startup's innovation centre in Portsmouth, Britain February 20, 2023. REUTERS/Nick Carey

LONDON (Reuters) - Global automakers have touted plans to re-use electric vehicle (EV) batteries when they lose power, but competition for battery packs and cell materials, and the appetite for affordable cars cast doubt on this part of the circular economy.

An array of startups offers second-life energy storage using old EV batteries.