Old EV batteries are quietly becoming the cheapest way to power AI data centers

Crusoe Energy and Redwood Materials have scaled the world's largest second-life EV battery microgrid to power AI data centers in Nevada, with 99.2% uptime over seven months. GM and Ford are now building parallel battery storage businesses, creating a supply-chain loop where EV adoption directly subsidizes AI infrastructure buildout. The economics, 30-60% cheaper than new lithium-ion storage, may prove to be one of the most consequential infrastructure convergences of the decade.