From neighborhood workshops to high-tech startups, Jordan is developing practical solutions to the challenge of used electric vehicle batteries: from residential use connected to solar power to industrial recycling, while awaiting regulations, training, and an official supply chain to ensure the safety of this rapidly growing market.
In the basement of a home in Amman, twenty refurbished Tesla modules work in tandem with the solar panels on the roof to power nearly all of a family’s energy needs. Outside, in the al Bayader industrial zone, a warehouse filled with cables and testers gives a second life to battery packs that have already served their purpose on the road.
This is by no means an isolated occurrence in a country where electric vehicle registrations have skyrocketed, tax breaks have turned Jordan into a regional testing ground, and yet incomes remain modest. The result is a growing demand for “practical” solutions (in the Neapolitan style, one might say) to manage the flow of high-voltage batteries that, at the end of their automotive life, can retain up to 80% of their capacity—enough for a new use outside the car.
A grassroots movement
It’s a grassroots movement. Workshop owners and enthusiasts have started studying online videos and asking their contacts abroad for help. Step by step, they’ve managed to build an informal recycling network. Shadi Jameel has turned this expertise into a career: he repairs and rebalances modules, resolves cell disconnections, and, above all, sells refurbished battery packs for mobile and stationary systems.
The idea, which is being implemented in homes, farms, and vacation homes, is simple: combine recycled batteries with solar power systems to lower utility bills and reduce waste. In a country with about 150,000 electric vehicles on the road and the prospect of having nearly 200,000 used batteries by 2035, the neighborhood repair shop is meeting a real need.
ExelX, a center based in Amman, uses advanced diagnostic and charging systems to prevent degradation, rebalance cells, and extend battery life. They say that in three years, they have extended the life of over 500 Tesla batteries. A refurbished battery pack costs about 20% of the price of a new one: for drivers, this represents a tangible savings; for the power grid, it’s an additional resource. If those same batteries are then repurposed for stationary use, their service life is extended even further, bringing environmental and social benefits.
The Issue of Safety
“I’ve seen and heard about used batteries being connected to solar systems or other local energy solutions, often on family farms or at vacation homes in semi-remote areas,” explains Fadwa Dababneh, director of the C-Hub at the German Jordanian University, founded in 2024 with government support. But the somewhat overly informal nature of most battery refurbishment operations raises safety concerns. “These facilities are usually run by self-employed workers or hobbyists, rather than by specialists or companies that operate formally in this sector,” he added. “Precisely because they are informal, there is limited visibility into how widespread or safe these practices are.” Two battery-related explosions this year—one at a repair shop and the other while a used battery was being transported—have highlighted these risks. Although no one was injured, the explosions prompted the Ministry of the Environment to focus on the looming crisis of end-of-life batteries.
The C-Hub is working to compile the data and propose solutions: traceability throughout the entire life cycle, collection centers, safety standards, and incentives to bring the informal sector into the open and transform it into a business. Today, the official supply chain is full of gaps: end-of-life batteries are exported to China and Germany for recycling, or they end up in landfills—often regular ones—posing a risk of heavy metal leakage. In between lies the everyday practice of those who repurpose the modules to create home battery storage systems. It works, but without standards, training, and insurance, the risk is no small matter.
An ally for network stability
That’s the whole point: transforming a thriving knowledge-based economy into a secure supply chain. Because the benefits aren’t limited to lower utility bills and a reduction in hazardous waste: distributed storage supports grid stability, just as Jordan has set a goal of generating half of its electricity from renewables by 2030, up from about 29% today. A fleet of second-life batteries that stores solar power during the day and releases it in the evening helps manage peaks and reduce the use of fossil fuel-based generation.
Meanwhile, practice refines the methods. In homes and businesses that adopt DIY or semi-professional systems, certain best practices are becoming standard: module selection and testing, integration with reliable battery management systems, appropriate inverters, electrical protections, and ventilation. In battery reconditioning shops, minimum testing and balancing protocols are becoming widespread, while customers are learning that not all batteries are created equal—and that the difference between a battery that lasts for years and one that fails prematurely lies in details that cannot be improvised. On the industrial front, scheduled reconditioning extends the service life of battery packs for on-board use and, downstream, channels them toward a more predictable second life in stationary applications, complete with contracts and warranties.
