For anyone in the Portland, Oregon area, I’ll be speaking this afternoon about second-life electric vehicle batteries at a Drive Oregon event in downtown.  Here’s the blurb from the event organizers:

Created from heavy metals and rare earth elements, the lithium-ion batteries used in today’s electric vehicles are challenging to recycle. However, these batteries and packs are extremely valuable, so the race is on to develop innovative ways to recycle battery cells at the end of their useful lives and provide “second life” applications for these batteries.

Our February event will review the opportunities and challenges in battery recycling and reuse. Our first speaker, Steve Sloop of Bend-based OnTo Technologies, will share the latest developments in battery material recycling and his own company’s unique approach, that is both more effective and less environmentally damaging. Our second speaker, Ethan Elkind of UC – Berkeley School of Law and UCLA School of Law, will discuss current research and pilot projects in the second-use market for battery packs. A lithium-ion battery can retain up to 80% of its original capacity for holding a charge even at the end of its life in a car. Research suggests that discarded batteries aggregated together can serve as inexpensive energy storage for our power grid – a critical component needed to support the integration of more renewable energy sources.

Much of my talk will be based on the UC Berkeley / UCLA Law report “Repurpose and Repower.”  You can register to attend here for $25 (non-Drive Oregon members), while Oregon wine, beer and light refreshments will be provided at no additional cost.