Energy Source´s Blog

Energy Source, BMW Group Brasil and WEG expand partnership for sustainable electric mobility in Brazil.

The project, which integrates sustainability and innovation, enables the charging of electric vehicles through the capture of solar energy, stored in lithium batteries, for reuse, from BMW's electric vehicles.

Since its foundation in 2016, Energy Source stands out among the companies in the Lithium Battery Reuse and Recycling segment. Ensuring innovation and excellence in production processes, the company has been establishing and strengthening strategic partnerships with major automakers in the automotive sector, such as BMW do Brasil.

Energy Source has developed an algorithm that optimizes the correct disposal of lithium batteries used in electric vehicle modules. The algorithm analyzes and selects the modules to be sent to the reuse process (Second life), extending their useful life by up to ten years.

The recent partnership signed with WEG aimed to develop a complete charging system for the brand's electric vehicles, and the success of this partnership resulted in the 50kW Semi Fast Charge Recharge Station.

“For us at Energy Source, being part of such a bold project in partnership with WEG and BMW is very gratifying, allowing us to make available all our know-how and demonstrate to the international market the excellence of the second life batteries developed by us, in addition to of the infinite range of application possibilities”, comments David Noronha, CEO of Energy Source.

The charging station consists of:

- 24 battery modules from BMW i3 vehicles, previously selected by the algorithm developed by Energy Source;

- Energy Management System Developed by WEG;

- 18 solar panels that were fixed in a customized container, manufactured by Iron Home, in addition to the fire-fighting system by New Technology and sensors by Laenge.

“This project promotes the Sun to Wheel concept for 100% sustainable fast charging of electric vehicles. With national technology, we are developing the necessary infrastructure to support electric mobility in Brazil”, explains Manfred Peter Johann, Superintendent Director of WEG Automação.

Tests

The charging station was installed in the BMW do Brasil factory, located in Araquari/SC, where tests were carried out by multidisciplinary teams from the three companies and proved to be satisfactory!

The fast charging system made it possible to reach 100% of the vehicle's charge level in just one hour, which is equivalent to a range of around 330 km. (The tests were performed with the MBW i3 model.)

“The future of premium mobility is sustainable and BMW Group Brazil supports the national development of new technologies that will allow electric vehicles to become an increasingly global reality”, says Vivaldo Chaves, Director of Operations at BMW Group Brazil. “Already this year, we will have five all-electric models being sold in the country (BMW i3, MINI S E, already on sale, BMW iX, in pre-sale phase, and the iX3 and i4, with launch by the end of the year) and We believe that Brazil has excellent professionals to lead the transformation of the mobility industry in the region”, adds the executive.

About the companies that make up the partnership

About the Energy Source

Energy Source was born in 2016, in the city of São João da Boa Vista, in the interior of São Paulo. Considered a Startup and Scale-Up, it is the only company in the world to carry out both the recycling and the reuse of lithium-ion batteries. His proposal to bring to the global market a new perspective for these batteries, through the second-life process, has shown to be very promising. Constantly investing in technology, expanding its industrial park and developing new methodologies, Energy successfully follows the path of innovation, identifying solutions for the storage of clean and renewable energy, promoting sustainability and significantly reducing CO2 emissions. These are some of the differentials that have guaranteed several strategic partnerships with companies that want to maximize the life cycle of their products.

About the WEG

Founded in 1961, WEG is a global electronics equipment company, operating mainly in the capital goods sector with solutions in electrical machines, automation and paints, for various sectors, including infrastructure, steel, pulp and paper, oil and gas, mining , among many others. WEG stands out in innovation for the constant development of solutions to meet major trends in energy efficiency, renewable energy and electric mobility. With industrial operations in 12 countries and commercial presence in more than 135 countries, the company has more than 37 thousand employees distributed around the world. In 2021, WEG achieved net sales of R$23.6 billion, of which 54% came from sales outside Brazil.

About the BMW Group

With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world's leading manufacturer of premium automobiles and motorcycles and provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group's production network comprises 31 production and assembly facilities in 15 countries; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2021, the BMW Group sold over 2.5 million passenger vehicles and over 194,000 motorcycles worldwide. Profit before tax in 2021 was €16.1 billion with revenues amounting to €111.2 billion. As of December 31, 2021, the BMW Group had a workforce of 118,909 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company set the course for the future at an early stage and consistently makes sustainability and efficient resource management central to its strategic direction, from the supply chain through production to the end-use phase of all products.

Article published by BMW:

https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/brazil/article/detail/T0379333PT?language=pt