500 used EV batteries to power Texas grid

July 29, 2025

B2U Storage Solutions, a California-based company, has announced it is building a new battery storage facility in San Antonia, Texas. What’s most interesting, however, is that the facility will consist of recycled old electric vehicle (EV) batteries.

The new facility, known as the Bexar Corrilla project, will comprise approximately 500 reclaimed EV battery packs. According to B2U, it should be capable of storing up to 24 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity (enough to power about 800 homes for a day).

The storage unit should also be able to directly plug into the local utility’s power system (CPS Energy).

Even when EV batteries can no longer power a car efficiently, they still retain a significant amount of usable capacity, sometimes up to 70–80 percent. Instead of sending them to a recycler or landfill, B2U gives them a “second life” by converting them into energy storage units for the electric grid using its patented EV Pack Storage (EPS) system.

Second life for old EV batteries

This system is modular by nature, capable of holding multiple EV battery packs in shipping container-like bays called EPS cabinets. Each one is tested and shipped ready to use, and can utilize a mix and match of battery packs from various EV car brands and models.

Another interesting point is that normally, using second-hand EV batteries requires refurbishing or remanufacturing, which is expensive and energy-intensive. However, B2U has developed a “plug-and-play” system that eliminates the need to tear down and rebuild the batteries.

The system can be directly connected to the grid and is also certified safe (UL 9540 standard). It also utilized artificial intelligence (AI) to manage power trading in real-time.

To this end, it can automatically decide when to store and when to sell electricity based on grid demand and pricing.

As for the location, Texas was chosen because it has a fragile and isolated power grid, with a significant amount of solar and wind energy coming online and growing electricity demand. However, when the Sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing, battery storage is crucial for maintaining stability.

In B2U’s view, this makes the market an ideal fit for their backup battery systems.

B2U is already planning more

Looking ahead, the Texas facility is B2U’s first in the state, but its third overall. They have also built two in California: SPEV Sierra and SEPV Cuyuma. The former is a 28 MWh, 1,300 EV battery system, while the latter is a 12.5 MWh, 580 battery pack system.

They plan to build three more projects in Texas, aiming for 100 MWh of battery storage in the state. Including these, B2U expects to have 150 MWh of grid-connected used EV batteries running by mid-2026.

Initiatives may become increasingly important as they provide a viable way to reuse EV batteries at the end of their life. With EVs becoming more numerous worldwide, handling this kind of waste will become essential.

It also provides a convenient way to help scale battery storage systems simultaneously. Clean energy and backup systems can work together to improve grid reliability.

And it’s all happening without the need for new batteries, which helps lower costs and reduce environmental impact.