Hardware Platform Design of Small Energy Storage System Using Second Life Batteries

As the number of electric vehicles (EV) increases rapidly, the reclamation and repurposing of used EV batteries into energy storage systems (ESSs) becomes a promising way to extend battery life and to generate extra revenues. This research project aims to design, build and experimentally verify an ESS that is based on the integration of mixed technology and mixed state of health battery modules, and this paper presents the hardware platform construction process of an ESS using second life battery modules. Details on system design, key components selection and commissioning are described. The developed ESS is compatible with a variety of battery modules and forms the foundation of test data collection and algorithm verification for further research on new battery management algorithms specifically for second life applications.