The EV boom is creating a new challenge now coming into focus. Millions of batteries will be pulled from cars as their performance declines. Many still hold a large share of their original capacity. The question is what to do with that growing stockpile.
A new project in Vancouver, Canada, offers an answer. Cleantech firm Moment Energy has opened Megafactory 1. The company calls it the world’s largest plant dedicated to repurposing retired EV batteries. Remarkably, it was built in just six weeks.
The facility gives used batteries a productive second life. It turns them into energy-storage systems for grids, factories, hospitals, and data centers.
“We announced this project six weeks ago. Today it’s operational,” said Edward Chiang, Co-Founder and CEO of Moment Energy. “Demand for energy storage is accelerating, and so is the supply of retired EV batteries. We show that the right technology can enable North America to re-onshore domestic manufacturing in weeks, not decades, creating thousands of jobs and economic prosperity.”
The need is becoming urgent. One study estimates one million EV battery packs will retire by 2030. The IEA expects 100 to 120 GWh of retired batteries by then. That volume roughly equals current annual battery production.
A car battery faces demanding range and charging requirements. Once capacity drops below those needs, drivers often replace it. Yet that battery can still store and deliver large amounts of power. Stationary storage systems do not need the same performance.
The challenge has always been scale. Every used battery arrives with a unique history of cycles and stress. Sorting safe, reusable units requires extensive testing and certification. Megafactory 1 aims to industrialize that whole workflow.
“This is about building the infrastructure needed to support the next generation of energy demand,” Edward Chiang said.
The plant handles intake, assessment, assembly, and deployment in one place. It operates under UL 1974 repurposing certification standards. Capacity should reach 1 GWh by 2030, creating over 100 skilled jobs. It also keeps retired batteries within a North American supply chain.
Moment Energy is breaking new ground as the first and only company to create commercial-scale battery energy storage using second-life EV batteries. Our systems are fully certified across the UL safety standards and are already making a difference in the field. We power data centers, hospitals, factories, and microgrids all over North America, utilizing batteries that are already on the roads, with manufacturing taking place in Texas and British Columbia. We’re proud to partner with leading automakers like Mercedes-Benz Energy to give retired EV batteries a second chance at life before they head to recycling.
Challenges remain around health checks, safety, and mixed battery models. But as retired packs pile up, the plant turns a waste problem into an energy asset.
