Rivian and Redwood Deploy 10 MWh of Second-Life Battery Storage in Normal, IL

Rivian and Redwood Materials have announced a partnership to install an on-site energy storage system at Rivian's manufacturing plant in Normal, Illinois. Redwood will take more than 100 second-life Rivian battery packs and integrate them into a system managed by their Pack Manager Technology, delivering approximately 10 megawatt hours of dispatchable on-site storage. The stated goal: cut electricity costs at the factory and relieve grid pressure during peak periods.

For Indiana manufacturers operating in territories with high demand charges or constrained feeder capacity, this is a real-world blueprint for attacking the single 15-minute interval each month that drives your demand charge. Second-life storage can also buffer short grid disturbances that would otherwise trip sensitive processes. EV batteries routinely outlast the vehicles they power, which makes them strong candidates for stationary applications where weight and size matter less.

The pattern Rivian is following is worth noting: they converted their own used packs into an asset inside the fence line, partnered with a specialist rather than trying to build the capability themselves, and did it at a scale that produces real operational results. Watch for Rivian and Redwood to publish hard numbers on cost savings, payback period, and how often the system actually dispatches during peak events, those figures will tell you whether similar projects are ready for Indiana facilities or still maturing.