Second life electric vehicle batteries are edging closer to commercial relevance in the UK energy system, but questions around performance consistency, integration risk, and long term value remain unresolved.
Connected Energy’s plan to bring a 5 megawatt hour second life battery testing and storage facility online by mid 2026 at Scottow Enterprise Park in Norfolk reflects how the sector is shifting from proof of concept projects toward owned and operated grid assets that must perform under real market conditions.
The facility, which the company describes as the UK’s most advanced testing site for repurposed EV batteries, will combine a multi manufacturer battery test environment with a revenue generating energy storage system. Unlike earlier demonstration projects focused primarily on technical feasibility, the Scottow site is designed to operate within the electricity market, providing energy trading and grid services while collecting detailed performance and degradation data across different battery chemistries and duty cycles.
Second life batteries are often positioned as a cost effective bridge between first use in vehicles and final recycling. When removed from EVs, many batteries still retain enough capacity to support stationary applications for an additional five to eight years. In theory, this extends asset life, improves lifecycle emissions, and creates residual value for automotive manufacturers and fleet operators. In practice, variability in battery health, lack of standardization, and uncertain long term behavior under grid operating profiles have limited large scale deployment.
Connected Energy’s approach directly targets these bottlenecks. By testing batteries from multiple EV bus and truck manufacturers within a single operating system, the facility aims to assess how mixed battery populations perform in grid scale configurations. The initial installation will use batteries supplied by Forsee Power, with additional automotive partners expected to follow as the site expands its testing scope.
The 5 megawatt hour system will not function solely as a laboratory. It is intended to generate revenue through energy arbitrage and flexibility services, exposing second life batteries to the same commercial pressures as conventional lithium ion storage. This data is critical as system operators, investors, and regulators look for evidence that repurposed batteries can deliver predictable performance, availability, and returns comparable to new battery systems, even if at lower capital cost.
The project also marks a strategic shift for Connected Energy itself. Founded in 2010, the company has previously focused on deploying second life storage systems for partners including Umicore and Volvo, often in collaboration with public sector organizations. Moving into ownership and operation of grid assets places greater emphasis on balance sheet risk, operational reliability, and long term asset management, areas where second life batteries still face skepticism.
Public funding support highlights the policy interest in closing these gaps. The two million pound project is backed by the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK, reflecting government priorities around battery reuse, supply chain resilience, and reducing pressure on raw material demand. However, public funding alone will not resolve structural challenges such as liability allocation between original equipment manufacturers and storage operators, or the lack of standardized health metrics for used batteries.
