Issue 02/2022 | Battery ecosystem on the upswing: The successful journey continues
Editorial
Welcome battery enthusiasts!
In critical times like these, news of economic successes recede into the shadows of perception. We hope you are all in good health and mostly protected from the negative effects of the crazy state of the world.
Despite all this, the good news from the battery ecosystem do exist. With the opening of Tesla's car production near Berlin and the announcement of battery cell production at the same location to follow soon, a big step towards European competitiveness has been taken. Further settlements are in the pipeline, e.g. Northvolt has also announced the expansion of its activities and the large-scale ACC project is the start of further success stories. There is a multitude of new cooperations and promising business initiatives along the value chain. In the meantime, the players from research and business are reconnecting in face-to-face meetings. We look forward to all opportunities for direct exchange in the coming months!
Not to be forgotten, of course, are the growing challenges in the supply of critical raw materials or the securing of supply chains. These are topics that continue to seek solutions and on which we in Europe can only work successfully in close coordination.
Let's stay positive – with the topics of our newsletter we provide you some promising examples. Feel free to approach our team at any time and let's overcome the critical phase together.
Stay healthy!
Uwe Seidel and Stefan Wolf
Programme Management IPCEI Battery, VDI/VDE-IT
Germany: Accompanying funding schemes to boost the battery ecosystem
Embedded in the German Federal Government’s 7th Energy Research Programme, the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) funds innovative projects for "research in the priority line of funding for battery cell production". The projects pursue the goal of developing novel advanced solutions to increase efficiency and sustainability.
The BMWK focuses on four funding priorities:
- Sustainability of batteries incl. recycling,
- Digitalisation of production and the life cycle,
- Innovative testing and certification procedures, and
- Applications of next-generation battery cell technologies.
The entire value chain of battery cell production is considered, i.e. from raw material extraction to all intermediate and supplier products as well as system integration to recycling and second life. The aim is to bundle and strengthen the technological competence for batteries in Germany. The projects selected for funding are currently in the process of being approved.
We will report on the successes of this programme in the coming newsletters and in our LinkedIn Group >>
IPCEI EuBatIn Member States - projects and accompanying measures
Starting with this issue of European Battery Innovation Quarterly, the IPCEI news section will contain briefs on the IPCEI European Battery Innovation member states. Starting the series with Finland, you will find a short member state profile in each newsletter, with information relating to the IPCEIs and battery ecosystem.
Finland: IPCEI projects and accompanying measures
Finnish companies actively contribute in building sustainable, resilient and sovereign European battery value chains as part of European energy system.
Batteries support the Finnish carbon neutrality goal of 2035, and thus are an important sector for Finland.
Finland has a strong research base and industrial companies in battery minerals and chemicals, battery applications and recycling. IPCEI EuBatIn and IPCEI on Batteries have significantly accelerated Finnish companies networking, investments and participation to complement the complete European battery chain in a circular manner.
Finland has three direct participants in the EuBatIn. Keliber focusing on sustainable lithium production, Fortum on recycling solutions and Valmet Automotive on supply of battery systems. Companies are progressing fast forward with their EuBatIn projects unlocking also sizeable private investments with spillover effects in Finland and beyond. We are very pleased to contribute to the European level progress, says Petri Peltonen, Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, Finland.
New developments in standardisation: ISO/TC 333 "Lithium"
Standards are essential for the development and establishment of the battery ecosystem. The team of the Accompanying Research on battery cell production therefore monitors current standardisation activities in this area and communicates relevant information and needs for action to the stakeholders.
As part of this accompanying research, the team also follows the activities of ISO/TC 333 Lithium. In this technical committee with clear reference to battery cell production, the member states have recently decided by vote to establish the following working groups (WG):
- WG 1: Lithium vocabulary
- WG 2: Chemical analysis for lithium hydroxide
- WG 3: Chemical analysis for lithium carbonate
- WG 4: Analysis for hexafluorophosphate
- WG 5: Sustainability
- WG 6: Analysis for lithium cathode materials
Please contact your national standards body if you would like to participate in one of the working groups or need further information.
More information on ISO/TC 333 can be found on the iso.org website >>
Accompanying Research: Addressing interdisciplinary issues within the Batteries IPCEI
The team of the Accompanying Research on battery cell production contributes to tackle the challenges of building the European battery ecosystem through the team's and integrated external expertise. In doing so, the team focuses on five central interdisciplinary topics.
The Accompanying Research team enables exchange between the IPCEI partners and relevant stakeholders of the battery ecosystem. Beyond networking, the VDI/VDE-IT team, together with its partners TÜV Rheinland Consulting GmbH and the Technical University of Berlin, develops analyses, qualification offers and provides further services to the funded IPCEI projects in order to help maximise the success of the IPCEI projects and the battery ecosystem in Europe.
University Meets Industry
In the coming summer semester, the Battery Production department of the German association of the mechanical engineering industry (VDMA) will be launching the "University Meets Industry" project, which is based on a mentoring concept of Prof. Franz Dietrich, TU Berlin Handling and Assembly Technology Research.
The aim of the project is to bring together students interested in battery, mechanical and plant engineering with VDMA Battery Production member companies. In this format, students are voluntarily connected with a contact person from the industry. Participating companies benefit from increased visibility on the job market for young academic talent as well as employer branding tailored to the target group. Battery specific job profiles, battery technology companies as potential employers, career planning and professionalization are benefits for students.
How does European research funding for batteries work?
The ETIP Batteries Europe is the heart of the European battery innovation system. This technology and innovation platform collects all information on innovation needs from initiatives such as Battery 2030+, LiPLANET, the IPCEIs and its own working groups. From this collection of information, the strategic agenda for European battery research is created.
On this basis, BEPA, in cooperation with the European Commission, prepares the calls for the Horizon Europe research programme.
Get involved in these organizations and help to shape the future of European battery research.
Partner news: LiPLANET Roadmap published
The roadmap of the network of research pilot lines for lithium battery cells LiPLANET, is finally ready and available on the website >>
The roadmap will provide guidance to the network and stakeholders to foster the innovative, sustainable and digitalised development of lithium battery cell production from small-scale testing to industrial scale in Europe.
The “LiPLANET Conference: Discover the insights of battery cell pilot lines ecosystem - From a project to an association to support European battery industry” took place on 10 March 2022. If you missed the event, you can now find the full video of the conference on the LiPLANET website>>
If you are interested to contribute or comment, please feel free to contact the coordinators>>
Whitepaper - Smart charging in electric mobility. Illustration of communication paths in a structural map, Edition 1
For sustainable grid and system integration of electric mobility, it is of great importance to develop solutions that ensure continuous communication across all process steps for smart charging. The research projects of the Elektro-Mobil funding programme, together with the programme’s accompanying research, have developed a so-called "communication map for controlled charging". The aim of this consensus paper is to structure the communication framework for smart charging in electric mobility and to show communication paths and associated norms and standards that enable a consistency of the smart charging processes within the existing normative framework in Germany.
The whitepaper is available for download in German from the website of the Institute for Innovation and Technology (iit) >>
Events, conferences & networking
Below, you can find a brief overview of upcoming events and conferences related to the topic of batteries. If you are organising a battery-related conference or other event that you would like to have included in this list of our next quarterly newsletter, please click here to send us an e-mail.
28 April 2022 | Battery Live Talk: Solid State Batteries |
10 - 13 May 2022 | ees - electric energy storage Europe |
23 - 25 May 2022 | Raw Materials Summit |
30 May - 02 June 2022 | Hannover Messe Expo 2022 |
08 - 09 June 2022 | European Electric Vehicle Batteries Summit 2022 |
09 - 10 June 2022 | Innovative Battery Technologies Conference |
13 - 15 June 2022 | AABC Europe |
15 - 16 June 2022 | Battery & Electrification Summit |
12 - 14 July 2022 | Battery Experts Forum |
19 - 22 July 2022 | Junior Euromat 2022 |
21 - 22 July 2022 | International Conference on Battery Energy Storage |
17 - 18 August 2022 | Battery Tech Europe 2022 |
13 - 15 September 2022
| Battery Innovation Days 2022 |
Save the date: Upcoming Live Talks
The accompanying research team of the IPCEI programme is continuing its successful monthly Battery Live Talk series on important questions that arise within the battery IPCEIs and the battery ecosystem.
The next Battery Live Talk will focus on solid state batteries. The online event will take place on 28 April 2022, from 16.30 - 17.15 CEST.
More information on upcoming events and on previous Battery Live Talks is available in the news section of this website >>
The online event is free of charge and you are kindly invited to join! If you are signed up for this newsletter, you will receive an invitation in due time. We will also announce the Battery Live Talks in our LinkedIn group European Battery Innovation and would be happy to welcome you there.
Join the group to discuss and to network with more than 2,200 battery experts. Follow us on LinkedIn >>
Legal Notice / Subscription
Acknowledgements:
Markku Kivistö, Business Finland, Finland
Dr. Sarah Michaelis, VDMA Battery Production, VDMA Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau e.V., Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Franz Dietrich, Institute of Machine Tools and Factory Management (IWF), TU
Berlin, Germany
VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH (VDI/VDE-IT) has been commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) to act as the project management agency and to provide scientific support for the Europe-wide "IPCEI battery cell production" project.
Together with its partners from TÜV Rheinland Consulting and Technical University of Berlin the accompanying research team provides analytics, dissemination and networking activities for the German IPCEI projects.
VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH
Department Mobility, Energy and Future Technologies
Steinplatz 1
10623 Berlin
Germany
ENCBattery@vdivde-it.de
www.vdivde-it.de
Registergericht: Amtsgericht
Berlin-Charlottenburg, HRB 99568
Geschäftsführer: Peter Dortans, Dr. Werner Wilke
Aufsichtsratsvorsitzender: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Axel Stepken
Image credits
Symbols: AdobeStock / davooda, presentationload
