New facility slated for end of June will produce up to 1 GWh of power storage units annually and create more than 100 new jobs

A new facility opening in Surrey, B.C., this month, will become what owners Moment Energy, an EV battery repurposing company, describes as “the world’s largest battery repurposing facility.”

The site is expected to process enough used vehicle batteries to support up to 1 GWh of annual production capacity of energy storage units by 2030 while creating more than 100 jobs in the province over the next five years.

The company says the facility will also be UL 1974 certified, the industry standard for evaluating and repurposing batteries, and is rated non-FEOC (foreign entities of concern).

“This is about building the infrastructure needed to support the next generation of energy demand,” said Edward Chiang, co-founder and CEO of Coquitlam, B.C.-based Moment Energy, in a press release.

“This scaling solution utilizes existing battery resources to deliver the reliable, affordable power that is so crucial right now.”

Second-life batteries

Moment Energy’s business model focuses on repurposing electric vehicle batteries rather than recycling them.

The company says many EV batteries removed from vehicles still have 80 to 95 per cent of their usable capacity, making them ideal for stationary use long after the end of their automotive life.

Instead of immediately breaking down battery materials, Moment tests, reconditions and rebuilds retired lithium-ion EV packs into modular storage units designed for backup power, renewable energy storage, grid support and EV charging infrastructure. 

Its current facility in Coquitlam went into operation in 2022 . 

Growing operations

The company closed a US$40 million Series B funding round in May, led by Evok Innovations, a venture capital firm. Earlier this year, they closed a US$21.6 million Series A round co-led by Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund and Voyager Ventures. This brings their total capital raised past US$100 million.

It started work on refurbishing an existing building for the new facility the same month, planning for a six-week build-out.

Moment Energy is also developing a separate 200,000-square-foot battery repurposing factory in Taylor, Texas, just outside of Austin, with support via a US$20.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. 

That plant is expected to be operational in 2028.

More partnerships

With EV adoption accelerating and more vehicles reaching end-of-life, Moment views retired battery packs as an underutilized resource that can be converted for use within energy grids rather than sent to landfill or recycled before their usefulness ends.

Moment currently sources retired vehicle batteries from Canada and the U.S., including through supply agreements with Mercedes-Benz and Nissan, but it’s also looking for partners outside the auto world.

Last year, Moment announced an investment and commercial partnership with the Chilean-based energy and forestry company, Copec, through its Copec WIND Ventures division. The partnership focuses on implementing second-life battery energy storage systems in Latin America and Europe, with some batteries sourced from Chile’s electric bus fleet.

In April this year, Moment also partnered with Pulsenics, a Toronto-based developer of diagnostic equipment, for advanced quality-control tools for used EV batteries. 

Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen), an industry-led, non-profit organization, supported the $5 million project.

Vancouver International Airport already uses one of Moment’s storage units for backup power for its EV charging. 

Meanwhile, BC Hydro is assessing the technology to support its grid and manage peak demand.