Batteries from VDL Bus & Coach are repurposed at RWE as part of 'Project Anubis'

Batteries from VDL Bus & Coach electric buses are to be given a second life thanks to 'project Anubis'. This RWE and VDL Bus & Coach initiative revolves around the sustainable and circular use of raw materials, in this case bus batteries, in a central storage system in Moerdijk, Netherlands.

Bus Ambassador (Tom Harrison)

In the coming years, the transportation sector will shift rapidly from a reliance on fossil fuels to a reliance on electricity. Assuming that all buses in the Netherlands, as well as an increasing number of cars and lorries, will be powered by electricity after 2030, more than 150,000 tonnes of batteries will be available for recycling each year. These are currently classified as waste and are mostly sent to recycling plants in other countries.

Paul van Vuuren, CEO of VDL Bus & Coach commented,

“In project Anubis, we are initially using batteries taken from 43 electric VDL buses operated by Transdev in Eindhoven since 2016, these vehicles are currently getting new and larger battery packs, but the used batteries still have enough capacity to be used in stationary applications.

In Europe, we are one of the forerunners in the field of electric public transport. Providing a sustainable circular solution for our batteries is part of our strategy. However, its application still requires a lot of new knowledge and development. Together with RWE, we will therefore collect a lot of data in ‘project Anubis’ so that we can contribute even more to making our society even more sustainable.”

Bart Kraayvanger, Manager ZE and Facility Support Transdev Netherlands added,

“In 2016, together with VDL, we took the first big steps towards zero emission bus transport in the Netherlands in Eindhoven. A major feat of pioneering, from which we have learned many important lessons. Now we are once again involved in these progressive and large-scale developments in the reuse of bus batteries.”

The 43 batteries from the VDL electric buses, totaling 7.5 megawatts, will be combined into a single battery at the RWE power plant in Moerdijk. RWE also has battery projects in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. RWE plans to increase capacity to 3 gigawatts in the coming years.

RWE is at the forefront of project development that will contribute to a successful energy transition. Due to their quick response time, battery systems are ideal for stabilising the energy network in addition to balancing the supply and demand for renewable energy.

The goal of the Anubis project is to demonstrate and validate an innovative stationary energy storage system based on bus batteries. This will allow for the large-scale implementation of such projects, contributing to the circular economy in the Netherlands. Many batteries from electric vehicles are expected to be recycled in the coming years.