Most folk seem to be chatting about recycling spent lithium-ion batteries nowadays. And that’s important, because this could make new batteries cheaper someday. But recycling also helps secure a reliable ongoing supply of their chemically active materials. However, this time we share ideas for new uses for portable lithium-ion batteries that still deliver their full charge.
A New Use for Portable Lithium-Ion Batteries Collectively
Taiwan is an island between the East and South China Seas, with People’s Republic of China to the northwest. Some 23 million Taiwanese people live mainly in cities, on gently-sloping western plains in an industrialized society.
It is no wonder then that there are some 14.5 million electric scooters in Taiwan, according to FedEx Business Insights. Lithium-ion battery sales are booming, and supplying them is a good business to be in.
But scooters do need their batteries recharging, and this is where the Gogoro battery swapping company comes to the party. They have some 12,500 green-and-white battery-swap hubs in Taiwan cities, so their customers get going again almost immediately.
We wrote previously about how Gogoro turned its stock of batteries into a collective source of energy, and how this supported the Taiwanese grid after an earthquake. The other day we found an article in Technology Review, that broadened our vision for new uses for portable lithium-ion batteries.
The Valuable Power of Go-Anywhere Batteries
Scooter batteries are portable because they can travel potentially anywhere, and that goes for most other portable devices too. Gogoro’s battery stock, when interconnected across the Taiwanese power grid, acted as a virtual power plant after the earthquake.
A similar trend is developing with electric car batteries, and home solar plants too. “Think of smart, portable, connected energy like a propane tank,” a Gogoro spokesperson says.
“Depending on their size, propane tanks can be used to cook in the wild or to heat a patio. If lithium batteries can be modular and portable in a similar way, they can also serve many different purposes.” What other new uses for portable lithium-ion batteries can you think of right now?
More Information
Fifty Million Battery Swaps And Counting
