Tesla’s Model 3 has already overtaken Nissan’s Leaf as the best-selling electric vehicle of all time. But the head of the Japanese electric vehicle pioneer says his company retains a head start in one crucial area: giving a second life to car batteries that are past their prime. 

Makoto Uchida, Nissan chief executive, told the Financial Times in an interview that the group wanted to expand its knowhow in collecting lithium ion batteries from old Leafs worldwide. The batteries are reused to store renewable energy at 7-Eleven convenience stores and to power railroad crossings and delivery robots in factories.

Such technologies to extend battery life and to recycle materials are expected to pose a significant challenge for the automotive industry’s push to electrify their fleets.