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Waymo and B2U Storage Solutions have struck a "strategic supply agreement" to repurpose used batteries from Waymo's electric robotaxi fleet into stationary storage for California and Texas power grids. The arrangement could give robotaxi batteries a second life storing renewable energy after they're no longer suitable for vehicle use. It will also "support B2U projects in regions where Waymo's autonomous robotaxis operate -- meaning the used Waymo batteries could bolster the local power grids that Waymo vehicles rely upon for charging," reports Ars Technica. From the report: Waymo's "proactive maintenance" for its autonomous vehicles includes identifying opportunities to "refresh the battery to improve efficiency overall for our fleet," Adam Lenz, head of sustainability and environment at Waymo, told Ars. "That's when we look to these second-life applications, because there's still a lot of life left in the battery," he said. Waymo did not specify the average mileage at which it swaps out batteries or retires vehicles from service. But Waymo robotaxis drive around much more each day than the typical EV, which means the Waymo fleet is likely to experience faster usage-related degradation of battery capacity over time. The company confirmed to Ars that "some of these vehicles have now been serving riders for years and have mileage beyond what a normal consumer drives." [...] "Put a little haircut on that in terms of degradation and the effective capacity that would be left in those batteries when they're suitable for repurposing, and we're still talking about pretty significant capacity per battery," Hall said. The growing Waymo robotaxi fleet could lead to "pretty large numbers in terms of megawatt hours of capacity that can be deployed pretty quickly" for stationary energy storage supporting power grids, he suggested. The agreement gives Waymo discretion over when and how many used batteries will be turned over to B2U. But the companies confirmed that B2U has "already started receiving smaller initial quantities of batteries" from the Waymo fleet. Over time, the agreement could give B2U "hundreds of megawatt-hours" of additional storage capacity from Waymo's thousands of electric vehicles, Lenz said.

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Like many women entering their 60s, Hilary Clegg had spent years trying different forms of exercise, from running to fitness classes, always striving to stay healthy.

Formal identification is still yet to take place

Lilibet has turned five, and her doting parents Harry and Meghan have posted a couple of photos to mark the happy day. Nothing wrong with that, you'd think.

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"But when?" queries Hercules "I've always had difficulty understanding phone billing and payment cycles. My phone company seems intent on making that harder..." Strong, heroically good-looking... Bright?The gods don't require it.

"Next update: 25 years 11 months ago" is some kind of reverse Y2K bug. Laurent boggles "It's bad enough to have a power outage, but to have to go back in time to get an update?"

"What is 30% of NaN?" asks Geoff O. rhetorically. However, the answer is well-defined and explicit.

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Bulletproof vests and armored vehicles were not in the job description

Footage shows the F1 star locked out of one of the sport's most iconic paddocks

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The search for a missing 59-year-old man from Witham, Barry Goult, has been suspended after the discovery of a body

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New council leader has raised concerns about 'securing' the future of the loved beauty spot

Harlow-based Target Darts, which sponsors Luke Littler, has been named the fifth fastest-growing company regionally and 51st nationally in the Sunday Times 100.

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