How can level crossings use used car batteries?

Batteries in electric vehicles will sooner or later degrade with the subsequent cycles to a level that will be unacceptable for most drivers. Then they can be recycled or… used in a different application, and it was one of the following that Nissan came up with, pointing out how railroad crossings can use used car batteries.

Nissan uses used car batteries for railway crossing stations

In fact, the company has already started replacing the lead-acid batteries in railroad crossing UPSs with pre-used lithium-ion batteries from the Leaf models. Nissan also maintains that by the time the battery reaches its end of life in an electric car like the Leaf, the cells can still retain between 60 and 80 percent of their capacity.

Also read: New Project Trinity teasers and the announcement of the autonomous Volkswagen truck

Due to lead-acid batteries, we have to periodically visit railroad crossings to check the state of charge and possible deterioration of their condition. However, in the case of lithium-ion batteries, we include a control system similar to an electric vehicle, thanks to which we can check the condition of the battery remotely. This should lead to an improvement in maintenance standards. This system also enables preventive maintenance by letting us know the condition of the battery before the voltage becomes too low.

Said the deputy principal investigator at the East Japan Railway R&D center, Kaito Tochihara.

Also read: Take a look at what the Tesla Semi electric truck looks like

Lithium-ion batteries can also be charged three times faster, and after charging, they last and last longer, on average 10 years, not 3-7 as is the case with lead-acid batteries. However, the whole process is not that simple, as Nissan has to make modifications to the entire control infrastructure to ensure that the batteries survive the surges. Tests are currently underway to analyze the effects of such floods, as well as other weather phenomena, on these batteries.