Green Economy Journal Issue 57

ENERGY
ENERGY
Bringing POWER back to LiFe
Green Economy Journal interviews CEO of REVOV
REVOV was founded by Lance Dickerson, former CTO of MTN, Ghana, and Felix von Bormann,
former engineering consultant for Sprint, USA. Both highly-skilled engineers bring a combined
50 years of experience to power up the energy storage space.
2nd-LiFe batteries are not
recycled batteries, and they are not
second-hand batteries. This is an
important distinction.
that the very technology required to support sustainable electricity
storage and mobility is extractive to the planet and comes with its
own carbon cost. This is why 2nd-LiFe batteries are a compelling
solution for those genuinely interested in “going green” and making
decisions that benefit the planet.
The carbon footprint of a 2nd-LiFe battery is as close to zero as
possible for a storage battery – precisely because it is utilising the
good cells of EV batteries and not relying on newly-mined and
beneficiated components. Besides some new cabling and shipping,
2nd-LiFe batteries are without a doubt the most carbon-friendly
storage solution.
THE SECOND-LIFE EV BATTERY MARKET
The second-life EV battery market is one of great importance
for many reasons. These include adding value to future
energy infrastructure, creating a circular economy for electric
vehicle (EV) batteries, and providing a lower levelied cost of
storage compared to new batteries. The new IDTechEx report,
“Second-life Electric Vehicle Batteries 2023-2033”, highlights
advancements in the second-life industry. IDTechEx forecasts
that the second-life EV battery market will reach US$7-billion in
value by 2033.
The bulk of EVs currently use Li-ion battery chemistries, and once
their eight-to-10-year initial lifetime has expired, they are usually
unsuitable for future EV use. Battery second use (B2U) extends the
lifetime of the EV battery. Depending on the State of Health (SOH)
and residual capacity of the battery, second-life batteries can be
further utilised in less demanding applications, such as stationary
energy storage and lower-power electromobility applications.
Stakeholders must make key decisions regarding the end-oflife
management of retired EV batteries. Second-life batteries
created through a remanufacturing process offer benefits of
maximising battery value and extending battery life, whereas
recycling results in batteries losing this value prematurely. If
remanufacturing is chosen, second-life BESS developers must make
further decisions to ensure that the creation of their second-life
systems is techno-economically feasible. Remanufacturers must
consider several process operations, such as battery procurement,
depth of disassembly, testing/grading, and reassembly procedures.
Please tell us about REVOV. What do you specialise in?
REVOV is an energy storage solutions company that sells lithium
iron phosphate batteries either as single units or in powerful
systems of multiple batteries, headquartered in Johannesburg with
branches in Cape Town and KwaZulu-Natal. REVOV is known for,
and specialises in, 2nd-LiFe lithium iron phosphate batteries for the
B2B market in South Africa and Southern African region. REVOV has
become renowned for its 1st and 2nd-LiFe batteries which provide
a compelling case to bring lithium-iron performance to the market
at a significantly reduced cost. Rand for rand, REVOV is the go-to for
value for money.
What are second-life batteries? Why recycle batteries?
This needs to be clarified at the start: 2nd-LiFe batteries are not
recycled batteries, and they are not second-hand batteries. This is an
important distinction. REVOV does not sell recycled or second-hand
batteries. REVOV sells 2nd-LiFe batteries which are batteries that are
built from repurposed cells of electric vehicle (EV) batteries. In other
words, when an EV battery is replaced, instead of being discarded,
it is taken apart by specialised teams, and individual cells which are
still in perfect working order are removed. In REVOV’s case, we have a
partnership with a world-leading EV battery company in China.
The individual cells taken from the EV battery are then configured
and built into 2nd-LiFe batteries with new casings, parts and battery
management systems. These 2nd-LiFe batteries have a comparable
lifespan to 1st LiFe batteries, and they can withstand harsher conditions
because they are made from the good cells of EV batteries, which are
designed for high temperatures as well as charge and discharge rates.
What are the main environmental impacts associated with electric
vehicle batteries?
From the extraction of the raw materials to cross-country logistics
to shipping and then beneficiation, all the way through to delivery,
batteries come at a significant carbon cost. It is perhaps a great irony
What are the advantages of REVOV’s 2nd-LiFe batteries?
Comparable performance to 1st LiFe batteries at a significantly
reduced cost because we are not affected by lithium supply chain
shortages. The company has full local technical support and design
and engineering teams, this is crucial. REVOV batteries have support
that is local.
IN POWER
Lance Dickerson, CEO of REVOV, in 2016
spent extensive time in the telecoms
industry, spending seven years in West
Africa working for MTN. It was during
this tenure that the the impact of a
failing electrical infrastructure was felt
while trying to keep the MTN networks
up and running. Dickerson investigated
and implemented various types of
backup and redundant electrical systems,
however, the technology at the time was
not sufficiently advanced to be able to
give a reliable and cost-effective solution. On his return to South
Africa in 2011, using the skills developed in the telecoms sector,
Dickerson decided to focus on battery backup systems, in an effort
to reduce reliability on failing grid infrastructure and the cost of
diesel-based backup systems. It was at this point REVOV Batteries
was born.
2nd-LiFe batteries are built from
repurposed cells of electric
vehicle batteries.
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