Issue 9 - 03/2023 | Human and material resources in the battery industry
Editorial
Welcome battery enthusiasts!
It's that time of year again: Summer is behind us and the season of expert exchanges at conferences and meetings is starting again.
The arguments about how to achieve European competitiveness in the battery industry continue. No budget of the EU member states is capable of following the North American and Chinese financial strength. The European path of the battery ecosystem can only be successful through networking and competence bundling. The IPCEI's approach pursues exactly this goal, focusing on spill-over and knowledge exchange. With upcoming actions, we support precisely this path. We will ensure that the IPCEI EuBatIn will expand to include strong (associated) partners from countries such as Norway, Slovenia, Portugal and Switzerland. Matchmaking of competences and experience leaders is the targeted path of strengthening. We are always happy about the great interest in our work, and we are honoured to dig deeper into the European networks. It is always exciting to meet new companions, as recently in Lisbon in the IPCEI workshop with interested candidate companies.
When autumn offers us a multitude of fruitful contacts and many new cooperation partners, we are happy to leave the summer behind. Let's continue to jointly contribute for a long-term success of European batteries!
Uwe Seidel and Stefan Wolf
Programme Management IPCEI Battery, VDI/VDE-IT
Interview: Education and training in the field of battery cell production
In the face of climate change, decarbonising the transport sector is a current and future challenge in Germany and Europe. Batteries play a key role in this. The demand for sustainably produced battery cells has increased enormously in recent years due to electric mobility and stationary storage applications and will continue to increase. Public investment has provided strong incentives for the development of a broad battery value chain as well as an entire battery ecosystem in Germany and Europe, which is crucial for European competitiveness, the development of technological know-how and for securing local supply. The associated exponential growth of the industry brings with it the challenge of finding sufficient and suitably qualified skilled employees.
Overcoming challenges and establishing qualification offers for students and blue-collar workers for battery cell production, Professor Dr.-Ing. Franz Dietrich of Technische Universität Berlin explains what needs to be done to meet the largescale demand for skilled workers as well as what approaches already exist today.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Franz Dietrich is professor at the Institute of Machine Tools and Factory Management (IWF) and head of the Chair of Handling and Assembly Technology at Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin). He researches and teaches in the field of battery production technology. His work focuses on handling, assembly and disassembly, humans, digitalization as well as analytically and experimentally based technology innovations, with the key mission of rationalized production in a sustainable, humanitarian world.
IPCEI EuBatIn - Projects and accompanying measures
In every issue of European Battery Innovation Quarterly, the IPCEI news section contains briefs on the IPCEI European Battery Innovation member states. This time, you find a short member state profile of a potential prospective associated partner of EuBatIn: Portugal.
To find out more about the member states and projects, explore the European IPCEI batteries map >>
Portugal: On the IPCEI EuBatIn Pathway
Early September in Lisbon, Portugal - it's raining, totally unusual for this time of year, but a good opportunity to hold a constructive workshop. Representatives of the Ministry of Economy, the country's innovation agencies and companies from the battery environment came together to discuss Portugal's admittance to the IPCEI EuBatIn associated partnership. There are very good reasons for this approach:
Portugal is the EU Member State with the largest known reserves of lithium (appr. 60.000 t) and the ninth largest worldwide – since 2018 with a national strategy for exploiting
the Portuguese battery community is ready to contribute extensive knowledge, sufficient capacities in industry and research and is already operating on a large number of strategic projects
interesting partners, especially from the fields of materials and recycling are ready to join EuBatIn as associated partners
Portuguese entities can promote strategic collaborations with Direct Partners towards going beyond the state-of-the-art in european battery value chain
In Lisbon, six promising candidates presented their projects, five of which will meet at the IPCEI event in Vienna at the end of September. It also became clear that there is a broad alliance of government support behind the companies' efforts. All stakeholders have signed up to the rules for becoming associated partners of EuBatIn. We are looking forward to a new partner country in the IPCEI family!
For additional information on the battery activities, reach out to the IPCEI Batteries team >>
Battery Ecosystem Germany: Funding Focus Recycling & Battery Passport
As part of the national initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action to support the battery cell manufacturing ecosystem, funding is being provided, among others, for industry-led research and development projects along the battery cell production value chain. One funding focus is on Recycling and Battery Pass. Nine out of more than 30 funded projects are working in this field, with more than 50 consortium partners. Here, small and medium-sized companies as well as large companies have joined forces with research institutes, education providers, joint ventures and others to work on the efficient recovery of valuable materials from production waste and batteries. Processes with and without the generation of black mass are investigated and their individual advantages depend on the materials processed. The goal is to provide materials in a purity that allows direct further processing in production processes. With the battery passport project, a digital product passport is being developed that contains data on the condition of the battery and the materials it contains in a globally harmonised system.
Accompanying Research - Cross-cutting topics
Sustainability, Circular Economy & Resources
Within the accompanying research “Battery Cell Production”, cross-cutting topics are offered to enable a knowledge exchange on higher-level topics. Among others, these cross-cutting topics include Sustainability as well as Circular Economy & Resources.
As shown in our study "Measuring sustainability: A consistent metric for sustainable batteries", Sustainability has many facets. Examples for sustainable batteries requirements are consideration of social and ecological aspects, durability, a high level of safety and reparability.
Availability of resources and circularity of batteries are particularly important for establishing a sustainable battery industry. Therefore, they are considered separately in the cross-cutting topic “Circular Economy and Resources”. In the European Battery Regulation, which recently came into force, various measures (like a limit on CO2 emissions in manufacturing, requirements for the collection rate and use of recycled materials and the service life of batteries, the introduction of a digital battery passport with basic information on every battery model circulating on the European market, etc.) have been anchored to keep the material cycle as closed as possible.
More information on the cross-cutting topics and on sustainability, circular economy & resources >>
Standardization: Important contribution to efficiency gains and cost savings
The application of standardization can facilitate market access for companies and improve product safety while reducing product liability risks. Furthermore, it can contribute to efficiency gains and cost savings, and provide a boost to customer confidence through compliance with quality requirements. By participating in standardization, companies and other interested parties can contribute their own interests, gain a knowledge advantage and at the same time be close to other competitors. Although the application of standards is basically voluntary, the application of standards may become necessary through references to standards in laws or contracts.
Standardization takes place at international, possibly regional (e.g. European) and national level. A recognized set of rules regulates both the participation and the procedures of standardization. In thematically focused committees and working groups, standardization proposals are discussed and standards are developed in all subjects. Various committees are relevant to battery cell production, including those in the fields of raw materials, batteries, automotive technology, and circular economy and ecodesign.
The team of the Accompanying Research supports the battery ecosystem within the key topic of standardization by networking with the relevant committees and contact persons, providing information on ongoing standardization activities and processes, participation opportunities, standardization-related initiatives, as well as on important events.
An interesting result of a standardization-related initiative of the German standards body DIN, the creation of the Circular Economy Standardization Roadmap, is a compilation of relevant standards for the Circular Economy in the field of batteries.
More information on the Standardization Roadmap Circular Economy is available on the DIN website >>
Special focus within the cross-cutting topic of standardization and regulation also is on the EU Battery Regulation. Here as well the team supports dialogue and provides information in order to unravel the complexities.
Market analysis: Build-up of the battery industry in Europe
Electro mobility remains the prime driver of growth for the sales of lithium-ion batteries. In 2022 10 million electric vehicles were sold worldwide and global sales of traction batteries rose significantly by 76%. This upwards trajectory continues in 2023. In order to meet the rising demand, an increasing number of cell production plants and factories for battery components in Europe are starting production. By the end of 2023, the cell production capacity in Europe could exceed 175 GWh/a.
Europe is in the process of establishing its battery value chain. Although numerous battery gigafactories have been announced, the extent to which these factories will come to fruition remains uncertain. Nevertheless, a more pressing query revolves around the availability of components and essential materials to effectively supply these factories. The analysis shows that the electrolyte production will be sufficient to fully supply the cell manufacturing sites. However, Europe is still dependent on additional imports for separators and especially for cathode material.
Impulse paper: Testing of use cases for the control of charging processes in electric mobility
The newly published impulse paper of the accompanying research of the funding programme Elektro-Mobil shows the range of implementations and tests for smart charging in the funded projects of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. It provides an overview of the results and highly topical research and development activities within the framework of the program, which have been tested both in real field trials and in laboratory setups.
Invitation: Battery Innovation Days 2023
The third edition of the Battery Innovation Days (BID), a must-attend event discussing the future of battery R&I in Europe, is set to take place on 14-15 November 2023 in Bordeaux, France. BID will create synergies between European and regional players within the battery world.
“To create a competitive European battery value chain, all stakeholders need to come
together and boost our innovation ecosystem. This is why we invite everyone to join the BIDs in Bordeaux. The choice of location shows that we are looking outside of the Brussels bubble, and want to establish direct links to the national and regional efforts." Said Wouter IJzermans Executive Director, Batteries European Partnership Association (BEPA).
The Battery Innovation Days will serve as a premier platform for dialogue among the research community, policy makers, industry players, and end-users. The event will see discussions on the deployment of cutting-edge technologies in battery materials, cell design, manufacturing, and battery recycling.
By convening experts and stakeholders from across Europe to Bordeaux, this event aims at creating synergies and encouraging collaborations between the European and regional level. To facilitate the seamless exchange of ideas, it will offer numerous networking opportunities, including a cocktail event and dinner, a site-visit and exhibitions booths.
With a strategic blend of regional, European and international players, this event promises an enlightening convergence of expertise.
Find out more and secure your ticket for the Battery Innovation Days now >>
Invitation: Future Battery Forum 2023
The 4th Future Battery Forum takes place on November 27-28, 2023 at ECC Berlin + online and will be staged under the motto “Accelerating Europe’s battery industry: Innovative. Sustainable. Stronger together.” The European management conference & exhibition brings together over 700 decision makers and senior experts from the entire battery value system for two days of exclusive networking.
In keynotes, panels, tech talks and workshops, about 70 top-class speakers from industry and politics will shed a light on these topics: European market ramp-up and local value chains, Manufacturing innovations & gigafactories, Future battery technologies, Lifecycle and sustainability. Over 90 exhibitors will showcase the latest technologies and solutions for the battery industry in the accompanying exhibition.
As a cooperation partner of the event, we can offer 20% discount on the conference tickets with the code FBF23COOP. Please add the code at the end of the buying process. The discount will be applied automatically.
Save the Date: Battery Live Talk
The team of the Accompanying Research 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. We look forward to insightful expert keynotes and interactive discussions with you on key topics such as supply chains, future battery technology and many more.
Registrations will open soon for the upcoming online panel discussions:
- October: Battery safety and fire protection
- November: Sodium-ion batteries
- December: The Battery year in review & outlook on 2024
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 4,000 battery experts. Follow us on LinkedIn >>
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.
10-13 October 2023 | Batteries Event 2023 |
26 October 2023 | |
7-9 November 2023 | International Battery Production Conference |
7-9 November 2023 | Battery Experts Forum |
14-15 November 2023 | The Battery Innovation Days 2023 |
27-28 November 2023 | Future Battery Forum |
28-30 November 2023 | International Renewable Energy Storage Conference and Exhibition IRES 2023 |
30 November 2023 | |
4-6 December 2023
| 19th Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing |
14 December 2023
| Battery Live Talk: The Batteries Year in review & Outlook on 2024
|
Legal Notice / Acknowledgements / Subscription
Acknowledgements:
Technische Universität Berlin
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Franz Dietrich is professor at the Institute of Machine Tools and Factory Management (IWF) and head of the Chair of Handling and Assembly Technology at Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin). He researches and teaches in the field of battery production technology. His work focuses on handling, assembly and disassembly, humans, digitalization as well as analytically and experimentally based technology innovations, with the key mission of rationalized production in a sustainable, humanitarian world.
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
Photos: Skeleton Technologies, Battery Innovation Days, VDMA
