Green wedge

JAGUAR LEAPS INTO BATTERY BUSINESS

The UK marque has developed a portable zero-emission energy storage unit.

Given luxury car maker Jaguar Land Rover is committed to be all-electric by 2025, and to produce the first all-electric Land Rover by 2024, big things are afoot.

Truly innovative companies are these days striving for a virtuous circle, which involves reuse of the materials used to construct products. To this end, Jaguar Land Rover has partnered with energy sector leader Pramac to develop a portable zero-emission energy storage unit powered by second-life batteries.

Called the Off Grid Battery Energy Storage System (ESS), it features lithium-ion cells from Jaguar I-PACE batteries taken from prototype and engineering test vehicles. It can supply zero-emission power where access to the mains supply is limited or unavailable. The initiative forms part of the company’s goal to achieve net zero status by 2039.

Because the company’s batteries are engineered to lofty standards, they can be deployed in multiple low-energy situations once battery health falls below the stringent requirements of an electric vehicle.

The flagship system from Pramac has a capacity of up to 125kWh – enough to fully charge Jaguar’s all-electric I-PACE performance SUV, or to power a regular family home for a week. Pramac directly reuses up to 85 per cent of the vehicle battery supplied by Jaguar Land Rover within the storage unit, including modules and wiring. The remaining materials are recycled back into the supply chain. The self-contained unit is charged from solar panels. ■

There’s a whole other world of HVAC&R to discover in Ecolibrium magazine.