Second life for “retired” batteries: The newest circular economy in Melbourne’s east
With new models being released each year, the lifespan of a plug-in car continues to surpass what was once commonly believed.
Matthew Sims
April 10, 2026
In a factory in Dandenong, more than 190 employees help make the components for two million cars per year, including new electric vehicle models.
Now, “retired” batteries still holding most of their charge are being reused to store solar energy at the plant, as part of the growing second-life market in Melbourne’s east.
How long do batteries last? According to the Electric Vehicle Council, while most EVs are sold with eight to 10-year warranties on their batteries and motors, they are expected to have an average lifespan of about 15 years.
A battery is considered at the end of its lifespan when it only carries about 75 percent of its original capacity.
🌍 International efforts: Overseas, second-life EV batteries are already being used in a range of settings – from storing solar energy in schools in Africa to supporting grid-connected systems like the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam, where hundreds of retired Nissan Leaf batteries are combined into a large storage system.
🇦🇺 Local leaps: Nissan’s Dandenong plant recently installed a new energy storage system, made from the materials from nine repurposed EV batteries. The system stores solar power that’s used to run parts of the factory as well as an EV charging station.
Angus Robinson, the new projects and business development manager at Dandenong’s Nissan Casting Australia Plant, the capacity left in old batteries was enough to power the plant’s operations.
🗣️ “Once a battery drops to around 70 percent in a vehicle, it loses range — but in a static system, that doesn’t matter, and it can actually last much longer,” Robinson told the Eastern Melburnian.
The project aims to reduce NCAP’s annual carbon dioxide emissions by 259 tonnes, while saving 128 megawatt-hours of energy every year.
❓ Facts vs fiction: North Warrandyte father-of-two Richard Laxton is a Victorian branch committee member of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association. He made the transition to electric in 2019, and said he was often frustrated when people parroted the claim EV batteries only lasted five years.
🗣️ “It's not myth, it's disinformation,” Laxton told the Eastern Melburnian.
😮💨 No concerns: Laxton said after driving his EV consistently over long distances for the past six years or so, the range has only fallen by less than 10 percent.
🗣️ “I would get in it tomorrow and drive it to pretty much anywhere in Australia without any stress or hassle whatsoever,” said Laxton.