Chatsworth Company Reuses Batteries To Power Hospitals

CHATSWORTH, CA — What does a Tesla have to do with COVID-19?

Actually, a lot. Hospitals need power supplies to keep the lights on almost as much as they need medical supplies. A Chatsworth renewable energy company called BigBattery, Inc., which is the largest supplier of surplus and re-certified batteries in the United States, is repurposing lithium-ion batteries from old Teslas and other electric vehicles into solar trailers that serve as back-up power sources for COVID-19 triage centers at local hospitals.

BigBattery has offered these trailers free of charge to hospitals across LA County that need them, including Keck Medicine of USC, UCLA Hospitals, Valley Medical Center, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center.

The factory is also using its supply chain in China to provide hospitals with valuable medical supplies like safety goggles, disposable face masks, face shields, protective suits, and a foldable face-mask anti-dust respirator. The company recently brought in 4.8 million medical-grade masks that it distributed to hospitals.

While many local businesses struggle, Big Battery has been able to stay afloat by providing the power and medical supplies needed during the pandemic. “We didn’t have to lay anybody off – we just pivoted and learned how to go with the flow and learn how to make our solutions work to fight COVID-19,” said BigBattery Founder Eric Lundgren.

Michael Wittner and Fox 11 Los Angeles contributed to this report.