Deutsche Bahn has installed a second-life battery energy storage system combined with a photovoltaic array at its Intercity Express (ICE) depot in Leipzig, marking the first time such a setup has been deployed at one of the railway company’s long-distance maintenance sites.
The system utilizes 30 battery modules repurposed from eight electric vehicles and is expected to reduce the site’s annual energy costs by approximately €85,000. The photovoltaic (PV) array, with an output of around 291 kilowatt-peak (kWp), has been installed across three buildings and is capable of covering about one-quarter of the depot’s electricity demand.
“Deutsche Bahn aims to be climate neutral by 2040. By modernising the Leipzig ICE depot’s energy system, we are showing very concretely how sustainability and economic efficiency go hand in hand,” said Katrin Habenschaden, Head of Sustainability and Environment at Deutsche Bahn AG.
The battery system, developed by DB’s internal startup Encore, is designed to balance load spikes in energy consumption by discharging during peak demand—such as when trains are tested using electricity from the public grid. It also supports high-energy operations like the underfloor wheel lathe (URD), which smooths flat spots on wheelsets. Any excess energy from the PV system, once storage is full, is fed back into the public grid.
Deutsche Bahn noted that the battery modules had previously served five to seven years in electric vehicles before being retired from mobile use. “The battery modules were used in electric vehicles for about five to seven years before no longer delivering sufficient performance for mobile use. However, they still offer ample capacity for use in stationary battery storage,” the company said.
While the brand of the original EV batteries was not disclosed, Deutsche Bahn has an existing partnership with Kia for battery repurposing. The Leipzig installation had been under discussion since 2022 as part of that collaboration, with Encore responsible for both procurement and integration of the technology.
