German firm breathes second life into EV batteries

A German company is putting used electric vehicle batteries to new use by stacking them into fridge-size units that homes and businesses can use to store their excess solar and wind energy.

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Aachen - A German company is putting used electric vehicle batteries to new use by stacking them into fridge-size units that homes and businesses can use to store their excess solar and wind energy.

This week, the company Voltfang - which means "catching volts" - opened its first industrial site in Aachen, near the Belgian and Dutch borders.

With around 100 staff, Voltfang says it is the biggest facility of its kind in Europe in the budding sector of refurbishing lithium-ion batteries.

Its CEO David Oudsandji hopes it will help Europe's biggest economy wean itself off fossil fuels and increasingly rely on climate-friendly renewables.

While wind turbines now dot Germany's countryside and photovoltaic panels are found on many rooftops, he says the country still needs to build up battery storage capacity.