Waymo Robotaxis Get Second Life Powering California, Texas

Self-driving car company Waymo is turning retired robotaxi batteries into clean energy storage for power grids in California and Texas. The move solves two problems at once: what to do with aging electric vehicle batteries and how to store renewable energy when the sun isn't shining or wind isn't blowing.

Waymo partnered with B2U, an energy storage company that specializes in giving old batteries new purpose. Instead of recycling or trashing batteries when they're no longer ideal for vehicles, B2U will use them to help balance electricity grids during peak demand.

The company currently operates thousands of robotaxis across the United States, almost all of them Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicles. Waymo recently started adding vans made by Chinese automaker Zeekr to its fleet, which means even more batteries will eventually need a second career.

The partnership will deploy "hundreds of megawatts of storage capacity," though neither company shared exactly how many batteries that involves or when the systems will go online. That's enough power to help smooth out the ups and downs of renewable energy sources like solar and wind.

The Ripple Effect

This deal represents a growing trend in sustainable tech. Car batteries typically retire from vehicles when they drop to about 70% to 80% of their original capacity, but that's still plenty of juice for less demanding jobs like grid storage.

B2U joins companies like Redwood Materials, founded by former Tesla executive JB Straubel, in focusing on battery second lives rather than immediate recycling. Interestingly, Redwood is backed partly by Alphabet, Waymo's parent company, and recently launched its own used battery storage business.

The approach keeps valuable materials working longer before they need recycling. It also makes electric vehicles more sustainable by ensuring their most expensive component serves multiple purposes across decades rather than becoming waste.

For communities in California and Texas, this means more reliable power during heat waves and storms. For the planet, it means squeezing every possible use out of the resources we've already mined and manufactured.

The future of transportation is looking brighter, one retired battery at a time.