Manufacturing new lithium-ion batteries in British Columbia has proven unsuccessful, but a Metro Vancouver startup has discovered a profitable niche in repurposing used electric vehicle batteries for backup power and energy storage applications.
Moment Energy's new facility
Coquitlam-based Moment Energy is constructing a production facility in Surrey designed to take used batteries, test and recondition them, and reassemble them into modular components for 500 kilowatt-hour stationary power units. These units can supply enough electricity for the basic needs of up to 50 homes.
“This is about building the infrastructure needed to support the next generation of energy demand,” said Edward Chiang, CEO and co-founder of Moment Energy.
The power units can be integrated into utility grids to provide backup power during outages, store electricity generated by solar panels for nighttime use, or reinforce the overall electricity grid.
Current customers and applications
The company already works with clients such as YVR, which uses one of Moment's shipping-container-sized units to support the airport's EV charging network, and B.C. Hydro, which sees these systems as an option to boost the grid during peak demand periods.
“We think their product can work for our customers,” said Kari Montrichard, a senior manager at B.C. Hydro. “We think what they’re doing is pretty cool.”
Battery repurposing technology
Moment Energy is not alone in developing grid-scale battery systems. Vancouver-based Invinity Energy Systems uses a different technology called vanadium flow. However, Moment leverages the untapped resource of used EV batteries removed from vehicles for warranty issues, which still retain significant capacity.
“When they need to be taken out, they still have more than 80 per cent capacity to them,” Chiang explained. “So let’s not landfill them, let’s not prematurely recycle batteries, let’s actually repurpose them for another 20-plus years.”
EV batteries consist of hundreds of individual cells, and often only a few are defective at the end of their automotive life. After reconditioning, batteries have “closer to 90 to 95 per cent life left,” Chiang added. This approach allows Moment to create more affordable backup power storage compared to using brand-new batteries.
With 100 million EVs on the road globally, Chiang noted “there’s a massive amount of battery supply.” He emphasized, “We’re really trying to solve this massive environmental issue of what happens to end-of-life batteries.”
Comparison with other projects
While E-One Moli's $1 billion proposal to manufacture new batteries for commercial equipment in Maple Ridge stalled at the end of 2024, Moment expects its $10 million Surrey facility to be operational by the end of June, assembling grid-scale batteries.
