The Oldest National park in the U.S. reuses old Toyota Camry Hybrid Batteries to Power Buildings

One of the oldest national parks in the U.S.A. is the Yellowstone Park. Toyota has donated 208 used Camry Hybrid batteries to Yellowstone National Park to power a cluster of five buildings in the wilderness. Though a couple of hundred batteries is not a lot when compared to the millions in circulation, the altruistic gesture has bigger implications: It shows what can be done with large, expensive battery packs from hybrid and electric vehicles once they’ve outlived their usefulness as a power source for automobiles.

Over time, batteries lose their capacity to hold a full charge which makes them unusable in vehicles. Most automakers warranty hybrid batteries for up to 10 years, but their true longevity is hard to nail down because it depends on many factors, such as how often they discharge and recharge their energy. Employing the used hybrid batteries in a stationary energy system like the one at Yellowstone can double their lifespan, Toyota says, at the end of which they get recycled. 

Yellowstone will create a single, stationary energy system with the 208 used nickel metal hydride batteries Toyota says that the system’s total storage capacity of 85 kilowatt-hours will be more than enough to power the five buildings that comprise the park’s Lamar Buffalo Ranch field campus. The ranch facilities are used for education and research.

This is not the first time that Toyota has reused hybrid batteries for stationary power sources. The company’s dealerships in Japan have been using them for additional and backup power since 2013. Toyota’s Alabama manufacturing facility is also looking into used battery systems to help power operations and provide emergency backup.  

Not all used Toyota hybrid batteries are suitable for reuse, though. Those that aren’t get recycled.

In addition to the batteries and engineering know-how, Toyota recently donated a RAV4 and $50,000 to the Yellowstone Park, to support Lamar Buffalo Ranch sustainability project. Lamar Buffalo Ranch is one of the oldest historic areas in Yellowstone.