company news about German Firm Gives Used EV Batteries a Second Life in Home and Business Energy Storage

Aachen, Germany — August 2025 — Voltfang, a German startup founded in 2020, has launched Europe’s largest facility dedicated to transforming retired electric vehicle (EV) batteries into compact energy storage units. The company opened its industrial site in Aachen, where used lithium-ion cells are housed in fridge-sized cabinets suitable for homes and businesses

Factory & Functionality

• Facility scale: The Aachen plant, backed by €15 million in Series B funding, boasts the capacity to manufacture 1 GWh of secondlife battery systems per year—a milestone in Europe’s energy storage sector
• Product form-factor: Reconditioned EV battery modules are carefully tested, repackaged, and enclosed in standardized cabinets about the size of household fridges, ideal for residential or commercial energy storage us
• Strategic goal: CEO David Oudsandji emphasizes the initiative as a step toward Europe's energy sovereignty, enabling decentralized renewable energy storage and lowering dependence on imported fossil fuels

Why It Matters

• Efficient reuse over recycling: A recent study by the University of Münster and Fraunhofer Institute found that repurposing EV batteries into stationary storage systems yields greater CO₂ emissions reductions than immediate recycling, especially in renewables-heavy regions  
• Circular economy model: Voltfang’s approach extends battery life cycles while offering affordable, scalable storage solutions—supporting Germany’s clean energy transition.
• Renewables integration: With renewables already covering up to 60% of Germany’s electricity, additional localized storage helps smooth intermittent supply and enhances grid resilience, aligning with national targets of reaching 80% renewables by 2030