Adapting EV battery technology for home and industrial energy storage plants isn’t a new concept. Several car makers have worked to develop the technology. But it took automotive upstart Tesla to successfully take EV battery-based energy storage to market. Now Daimler AG is offering Mercedes-Benz-branded EV batteries for private use.
Council Lead Partner Mercedes-Benz began selling its B-Class Electric Drive cars for this model year. As the International Business Times noted in a recent article, the release of the new cars and the EV battery-based storage systems suggests that both Mercedes-Benz and Tesla are not putting all their eggs in the EV basket.
Energy storage for homes and businesses
Intended to be used as energy storage for home solar power plants, the Mercedes-Benz units are up to eight battery modules combined into a storage system with a 20 kilowatt-hour capacity. Solar plus storage means homeowners can generate power during the day, store it and tap into it at night or when the sun isn’t shining.
Sold through another Daimler subsidiary Deutsche ACCUMOTIVE, the storage systems are available for homes and companies. The first of its industrial-scale lithium-ion batteries is already operating on an electric grid.
ACCUMOTIVE says the 20 kilowatt-hour home storage systems can provide 16 hours of power for an average home.
The company is accepting reservations for the storage systems with delivery set to begin in September. Daimler plans to partner with other sales and distribution companies to market them in Germany and internationally.
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Doug Peeples is a Portland, Oregon-based writer specializing in technology and energy. Follow @smartccouncil on Twitter.
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