As electric vehicle (EV) adoption accelerates, mobile charging systems are emerging as a fast, flexible complement to fixed stations. This briefing paper examines how repurposed EV batteries can slash costs, ease supply-chain pressure, and cut carbon while bringing chargers to remote, disaster-stricken, or high-demand locations.
Drawing on market scans and use-case analysis, we found that second-life batteries (SLBs) can cost as little as 25 percent of an equivalent new pack, unlocking mobile systems that are cheaper to build and deploy. With up to 40 GWh of retired EV batteries expected to be available in the United States by 2030, SLBs represent a sizeable resource for fleets, utilities, and emergency managers seeking scalable charging options.
