Vorarlberg-based e.battery systems GmbH, developer and manufacturer of high-quality battery systems, has secured STABL Energy's inverter technology in the field of Second Life batteries. The two companies have signed an agreement to cooperate in the development and sale of energy storage systems. The product is to be available worldwide as early as next year, and several megawatt hours of storage will be installed. STABL Energy is a spin-off of the University of the Federal Armed Forces Munich and TU Munich.

e.battery systems, based in Dornbirn (Vorarlberg/Austria), develops and manufactures customized battery systems for various applications. The company, which was only founded in 2019, currently has orders of €50 million on its books and expects tremendous growth in the coming years. e.battery systems sees a future market in energy storage systems with a capacity of over 100 kilowatt hours. They can absorb peak loads in industry and commerce and significantly increase the self-consumption of photovoltaic systems.

Ideally suited for this purpose is the use of second-life modules. Used batteries from electric cars, for example, usually still have 80 percent of their original capacity after 250,000 kilometers. They can be used in energy storage systems for decades, thus saving costs and resources for the costly production of new batteries.

Technically, their use is a challenge: each used module is in a different state of health, has a different residual capacity, and supplies a slightly different voltage. Until now, these modules had to be brought to an equivalent state at great expense before they could be interconnected. The failure of one module resulted in the failure of the entire system.
STABL Energy's inverter technology controls the modules based on software and compensates for the differences. They can thus be combined much more economically. The software can also easily compensate for the failure of a module.

"Cheaper, more environmentally friendly, low-maintenance and practically fail-safe": For Christopher Schöpf, founder and CEO of e.battery systems, these are the main advantages of modular inverters. "The modular system from e.battery systems and the modular inverters from STABL complement each other perfectly. The joint product offers a level of safety, especially for industrial applications, that has not existed before."

In the coming months, the two companies will be working together on the construction of the first prototype. In addition, the patents for the developments will be secured. Certification will begin in September. Schöpf expects the product to be available as early as the beginning of 2022: "We anticipate a launch on the European market and a rapid worldwide rollout.

e.battery systems has already received inquiries for the energy storage systems from "renowned customers from almost every continent," says the company founder. The installation of several megawatt hours of storage capacity is planned for the coming year; in the medium term, Schöpf estimates the potential at several gigawatt hours. A contract has already been signed with a German car manufacturer for the supply of used modules. Negotiations with other major car manufacturers are already underway.

battery systems is a spin-off of Akku Mäser GmbH in Dornbirn and is positioning itself as a technology leader in the field of lithium-ion technology. With its own developments, the company has a technological lead in the areas of production technology, battery cooling and battery management systems. The products are used in electric vehicles, construction machinery and industrial equipment by many well-known manufacturers.

e.battery systems currently has 25 employees and plans to double its workforce by the end of the year. In addition to majority shareholder Christopher Schöpf (54.9 %), SIE Holding from Lustenau (12.6 %), Akku-Mäser owner Norbert Mäser (10 %) and several Vorarlberg entrepreneurs are involved as investors.