Other uses for electric-vehicle batteries

Duke Energy exploring other uses for electric-vehicle batteries

November 23, 2010 - Finding alternative energy uses for lithium-ion batteries no longer strong enough to power plug-in electric vehicles is the aim of a new partnership between Duke Energy Corp. and a Japanese firm.

The North Carolina-based utility and Itochu Corp. announced an agreement Tuesday morning to evaluate and test “reuse” applications for electric vehicle batteries.

Duke Energy, which has about 780,000 customers in Indiana and distributes power to 69 of the state's 92 counties, said the testing will occur in the Indianapolis area, further boosting the region’s efforts to capitalize on clean-energy technology.

Indiana’s 2-year-old clean-tech initiative, Energy Systems Network, which is part of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, is touting the collaboration as a first between a Japanese company and a major U.S. utility.

“It’s intended to be a commercial pilot that has international market implications,” ESN CEO Paul Mitchell said. “And it’s happening here in Indianapolis in conjunction with the Project Plug-In initiative.” {read rest}