Toyota uses recycled EV batteries to run Mazda car production facility

Toyota uses old EV packs at the Mazda factory in Japan

On August 24, 2025, a report said Toyota is using old electric car batteries to help run a Mazda factory in Hiroshima, Japan. The system is being tested before full use.

Toyota calls it the Sweep Energy Storage System for used packs. Battery packs and the cars they come from do not age the same way. A car can be crashed or retired while its pack works, or a pack can weaken while driving but hold energy. Toyota plans to use that life in factories.

Field tests begin at the Mazda Hiroshima plant site

On August 21, 2025, Toyota and Mazda announced field tests at Mazda’s Hiroshima Plant. Toyota’s Sweep Energy Storage System uses batteries from electric and hybrid cars. It links with Mazda’s power system, the only automaker generation in Japan, through the company’s energy manager.

Testing is to verify stable and efficient charging and discharging performance. Teams will watch how energy managers coordinate, and how the plant’s needs match the storage output during work. Results will decide if the system will soon be ready for broader use on campus.

Sweep energy storage system links two grids now

The storage will be tied into Mazda’s campus power system to help regulate renewable output that fluctuates with weather and time of day, supporting stable, efficient charge and discharge across the plant.

For now, Toyota is monitoring the charging and discharging cycles to see if the battery packs can handle factory needs. The checks look at safety, stability, and smooth power delivery. These steps come before any wider use at Mazda’s campus in Hiroshima, Japan.

Toyota keeps donor battery control units intact

Toyota says the Sweep system rapidly switches each battery’s power flow on or off so modules with different capacities or states of health can operate together safely during charge and discharge.

The design can handle packs with different ages and states of health. Keeping original controls helps the group work even when types and conditions vary. This matters because Toyota cannot control which packs end up in the discard pile after car service.

System buffers solar for steady plant power now

The system’s first job is not to run the whole plant by itself. It is meant to help. It will smooth solar swings across the day so lines and tools see steady power. That can reduce waste from sudden dips and spikes in supply.

Toyota will record how much power the group can absorb and how fast it can send energy back. The data will show if used packs can share loads well without overheating. If the results look good, the system can be expanded step by step.

Toyota and Mazda ties explain factory selection

Toyota did not say why it is testing at a Mazda plant. The two companies do have ties. Toyota owns a small stake in Mazda. They also worked together on a joint factory in Alabama that builds cars for both brands today.

Mazda used Toyota parts in the Mazda CX 50 Hybrid powertrain. That project shows the firms can share tools and tech when it helps. These links make a test site easier, even when the work is focused on power storage and factory energy.

Second-life battery use has real past cases, too

Using old batteries for buildings is not new. The article noted Toyota once repurposed old hybrid packs to power buildings at Yellowstone National Park. It also noted a Porsche project that used pre-production Taycan batteries at a German factory for tests.

Most of these efforts were small, one-off projects. The Toyota and Mazda test is different because it aims to support a working plant’s power. It said the Sweep system could help level solar power and add backup when clouds move in.

Reuse or recycling debate and supply limits now

The report also covered the debate on reusing or recycling used electric car batteries. It said reuse can give packs a second life in storage. Recycling can pull raw materials like nickel, lithium, and cobalt back out to make new battery parts.

Redwood Materials, started by former Tesla leader JB Straubel, was named one of the recyclers. The company has deals with Toyota and other car makers. Its plan is to strip and reuse what it can from old packs to cut fresh mining needs today.

Wood Mackenzie said big recycling by 2030 is ahead

The story said the biggest hurdle for both reuse and recycling may be supply. Electric cars and hybrids are still a smaller share of new sales. That means fewer old packs are ready, so second-life and recycling projects face limited feedstock.

In 2021, research firm Wood Mackenzie predicted battery recycling would not become a significant business until 2030. The article added that this forecast came before claims that some United States policies could slow electric car sales, which would also reduce the supply of used batteries.

Press release aimed at a complete battery ecosystem

The August 21, 2025, press release said the tests aim to help build a battery ecosystem in Japan. This target is part of seven mobility industry issues the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association handles across the sector, with work on batteries included.

The aim also supports stable supplies of key materials and a strong supply chain. Toyota and Mazda said they will keep working together across the industry. They will use a multi-pathway plan to reach carbon-neutral goals and raise industry strength.

System switches power fast across a mixed battery

A system note said it can switch each battery’s power flow on and off quickly. This helps keep the pack steady, even when some units are new while others are older or have lower capacity. The group still behaves like one bank.

Toyota and Mazda plan to check that this control makes charging and discharging smooth at the plant scale. The teams will watch for spikes, drops, and heat, and then decide on the next steps for broader use across the Mazda campus in Hiroshima later.

Toyota’s beyond zero idea and carbon goals stated

Toyota linked the test to its Achieving Zero and Beyond Zero plans. Achieving Zero means lowering harm to people and nature. Beyond Zero means adding value after harm is reduced. The company said these ideas guide projects meant to help the next generation.

These goals sit beside the multi-pathway plan mentioned in the release. Toyota and Mazda said they will use many tools to cut emissions, like clean power, better engines, hybrids, hydrogen, and electric vehicles. The storage test fits this broad plan for factories.

Mazda plans a new battery plant with Panasonic in

Mazda said it will build a battery plant in Yamaguchi Prefecture with Panasonic Energy. The plan is to make cylindrical cells and packs for new Mazda electric cars. Target annual capacity is 10 gigawatt hours, and the site will support research work.

Mazda said the first ground-up Mazda electric model will arrive in 2027 as a crossover or sport utility. A plug-in hybrid version is being considered after 2028. The battery plant is planned to supply these models when production starts there.

Changan joint models and Europe 2024 plans data

Mazda is working with China’s Changan. Their joint sedan, the Mazda EZ 6, is an electric or range extender model based on the Deepal L07, which Changan developed with Huawei and CATL.

Mazda confirmed the EZ-6 for Europe in Aug. 2024, and a camouflaged Euro-spec prototype was spotted testing in Sweden on November 22, 2024; in Europe, it launches as the Mazda6e.

Changan also sells a crossover called the S07. Mazda previewed a related electric SUV with the Arata concept, with a plan to launch in select markets at the end of 2025.

Akio Toyoda claims and studies checks on EV facts

In an April 2025 interview, Toyota chair Akio Toyoda argued that 9 million EVs equal the impact of 27 million hybrids; other analyses suggest EV life-cycle emissions ‘break even’ after roughly 19,500 miles (Argonne) and higher in some scenarios reported in media summaries of academic work.”

Studies give a wider view. A 2023 Argonne study said an electric car can offset extra build emissions in about 19,500 miles. A 2022 Nature study put it near 28,000 miles. The United States Department of Energy tool shows lower emissions.

New tariffs are driving up prices for popular Toyota and Honda models, raising concerns for buyers. Full story in Tariffs add significant costs to Toyota and Honda vehicles.

Tests target steady renewables at Mazda factory

DOE data shows Model Y in West Virginia at 149 grams per mile versus the Prius plug-in at 177. In Los Angeles, DOE lists 80 versus 130. Reuters said Ember reported 43 percent of the United States’ power was clean at the end of 2024.

These facts show why storage matters when grids vary. The Toyota and Mazda test targets steady renewable use at the Mazda factory. The press release said the setup will regulate power supply and demand from solar to support carbon-neutral goals.

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What do you think of Toyota giving EV batteries a second life? Share your thoughts below.

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This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.