Innovative Startup Offers Sustainable Storage Solutions
CALIFORNIA – California-based startup B2U Storage Solutions has pioneered an eco-friendly way to stabilize the state’s power grid using recycled electric vehicle (EV) batteries. The company, founded by Freeman Hall and Michael Stern, collects degraded batteries from aging EVs like the Nissan LEAF and repurposes them for large-scale energy storage systems.
B2U’s grid-tied systems store excess solar and wind energy during times of oversupply and feed it back to the grid when renewable generation falls short of meeting demand. In this way, the company’s recycled EV battery storage helps facilitate greater adoption of clean energy while making the grid more resilient.
The model recently attracted major investment from Japanese trading giant Marubeni Corporation totaling $10 million. “We recognized B2U’s technology as an innovative global solution for affordable and sustainable battery storage,” said Marubeni’s Renewable Energy Division head, Takeshi Murakami. “Recycled EV batteries present a huge untapped resource.”
As EV ownership increases across California, B2U aims to utilize more of these proven and reliable lithium-ion batteries for secondary utility purposes. “We’re demonstrating their immense value for stabilizing grids,” said co-founder Stern. “This is just the beginning.” Industry experts predict B2U’s circular storage concept soon sparking worldwide interest.