Skoda to use old EV batteries to power dealerships

Skoda is introducing new power hubs across its dealer network that use old electric vehicle (EV) batteries to provide sustainable power.

The system can be used to power retailer and workshop buildings and deliver rapid charging for customer cars.

So far, 160 pre-orders have been received from dealers in the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands and Slovakia, with the possibility of extending to the UK in the future.

The power hubs harness energy from solar panels, which can then be used at any time with full transmission power, regardless of the weather or the current load on the local power grid.

Dealers can draw on the electricity generated in-house to light their showroom or workshop or to run the air conditioning.

With a total capacity of up to 32 kWh, it can also be used to supply fast-charging stations with a transmission power of up to 150kW.

Each hub can hold up to 20 batteries from Skoda iV plug-in hybrid models, or five batteries from the fully-electric Enyaq iV.

Skoda says the system potentially extends the useful life of the batteries by up to 15 years and it has the potential to build more than 4,000 units in the coming years.

Norton Way Nissan, in Letchworth, is taking part in a new project to test the use of energy sharing between electric vehicles (EVs), buildings and the national grid.

Using Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) and Vehicle-to-Building (V2B) technology, the EVs contirbute to the dealership’s energy requirements when they aren’t being used. The cars will then be recharged overnight when the demand for electricity is less, and while power can be obtained more cheaply.