Stellantis Powers Up Rome Airport with Second-Life EV Batteries

SUSTAINera Helps Cut CO₂ Emissions with Energy Storage From Reused EV Batteries

Robert S. Miller June 5, 2025

Stellantis is proving that electric vehicle (EV) batteries have a second life, and it starts at the airport. Through its SUSTAINera Circular Economy division, the automaker has teamed up with Enel and Aeroporti di Roma (ADR) to support the PIONEER project, Italy’s largest second-life battery energy storage system. The project utilizes old EV batteries to store solar energy and power Rome Fiumicino Airport, one of Europe’s busiest travel hubs.

PIONEER Project with SUSTAINera’s second-life EV batteries at Fiumicino Airport, Rome. (Stellantis).

Launched back in 2022, the partnership also includes Enel X, system integrator Loccioni, and the scientific support of Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute. Their goal? Take EV batteries from Stellantis vehicles—specifically from B-segment models built on the eCMP platform—and give them a new job after they’re no longer fit for driving.

Instead of sending these used batteries straight to recycling, SUSTAINera contributed 78 second-life packs, each capable of storing 50 kWh of energy. That’s enough to add up to 3.9 megawatt-hours (MWh) of capacity, all integrated into a larger 10 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) powered by a massive 31 GWh solar farm operated by ADR.

The result? A smart, sustainable setup that’s expected to eliminate 16,000 tons of CO₂ emissions over the next decade.

This PIONEER project is a major win for Stellantis, and it’s only the beginning. It’s part of a broader effort by the company to establish a circular economy around electric vehicles, where batteries are reused, repaired, remanufactured, and ultimately recycled when they are no longer viable.

Through its Free2move eSolutions joint venture with NHOA, Stellantis is now also developing test units that explore how second-life batteries can support homes, businesses, and industrial sites right here in the U.S. The aim is to build scalable energy storage systems from batteries originally meant for cars—reducing waste and helping the electric grid in the process.

It’s all part of Stellantis’ long-term strategy to be a more sustainable carmaker. And with EV adoption on the rise, the ability to reuse and repurpose old batteries could become just as important as building new ones.