since 1976
since 1976
BMW Group Malaysia and Universiti Malaya (UM) recently installed a solar-powered smartphone charging station running on second-life BMW EV batteries at the UM Central bus stop at the Universiti Malaya campus — the first completed real-world application of the RE:GENERATE x Universiti Malaya research initiative. Engineered by Associate Professor Dr. Tan Chia Kwang and his team of researchers and PhD students at the UM Power Energy Dedicated Advanced Centre (UMPEDAC), the station serves a bus stop with more than 3,000 daily users, bringing over two years of laboratory research into direct, everyday use by the campus community.
The charging station is one of two concurrent applications to emerge from the initiative. Lower-capacity battery packs, better suited to the lighter demands of device charging, power the campus station; higher-capacity packs from the same programme are being prepared for deployment to Pos Sinderut, Kuala Lipis, Pahang, where they will provide off-grid electricity access to a Semai Orang Asli community.
For the full scope of the initiative by BMW Group Malaysia and Universiti Malaya, please refer to the enclosed backgrounder.
The second-life battery-powered smartphone charging station installed at UM Central, Universiti Malaya.
The diagram on the charging station illustrates how solar energy is stored in a repurposed BMW EV battery via a photovoltaic inverter to power the charging ports.
A smartphone actively charging from the second-life battery-powered station, demonstrating the system in operation.
UM Central at Universiti Malaya, where the solar-integrated second-life battery-powered smartphone charging station has been installed to serve the campus community.
Fact Sheet.
System Components.
The system brings together repurposed BMW second-life EV batteries and second-life solar panels as its energy source, supported by a solar charge controller, photovoltaic (PV) inverter, Battery Management System (BMS), and USB fast charger.
Energy Storage.
The station is powered by a 1.5 kWh system assembled from three BMW battery modules, each approximately 10 years old. Through rigorous testing, grading, and modification by Dr. Tan and his team, the system recovers 30–40% of the batteries’ original capacity. These are lower-capacity BMW EV batteries from the team’s sorting process — an approach that ensures even the most degraded cells are matched to a suitable application rather than retired early, with higher-capacity batteries allocated to the more demanding rural electrification project.
Charging Ports.
The station has four charging ports: three USB-C and one Lightning port for older Apple devices. The combined output is 200W, with a maximum of 100W per port.
Foot Traffic.
The bus stop serves over 3,000 users daily.
Monitoring and Maintenance.
Data loggers are installed to record battery parameters and usage. A trained group of students monitors and maintains the system, with the site being easily accessible for regular checks. Routine maintenance is minimal — consisting primarily of battery parameter analysis from the loggers and periodic visual inspection.
Projected Lifespan.
The system is designed to remain operational for at least five years. Lifespan projections account for the batteries’ present condition, expected usage, and depth of discharge, and may extend further depending on actual usage patterns.
A Battery’s Three Lives.
The lower-capacity second-life BMW EV batteries used in this charging station are unlikely candidates for a further third-life application given their present state of degradation.
However, the higher-capacity second-life BMW EV batteries from the same programme — retaining up to 80% of their original capacity — are reserved for the rural electrification project in Pos Sinderut, Pahang. Once those batteries conclude their second life in that application, Dr. Tan and his team plan to repurpose them into third-life smartphone charging stations — completing a full three-stage battery lifecycle from electric vehicle, to rural home, to public charger.
