In 2024, Chinese xEV battery manufacturing technology developed special battery production technologies for solid-state batteries, new materials, and fast-charging batteries for the targets of reducing costs and energy consumption. Solid-state battery production has gradually derived from thermal composite and in situ solidification, as well as active-material composite solid-state electrolyte technologies. Fast-charging batteries put more effort to lamination accuracy, speed, and multi-tab design. This report will briefly analyze the latest developments.

In light of recent and upcoming regulations, the presentation will address sustainability challenges across the battery supply chain. Initial focus will be on mapping a battery's carbon footprint, examining the impact of various cathode and anode chemistries, regions of production, and processing routes of battery materials on the overall cell carbon intensity. The focus then shifts to giving an overarching view of the critical materiality issues associated with key upstream materials, including lithium, nickel, cobalt, and graphite, and an update on the state of play seen in the supply chain today.

Since our company's inception, we have collaborated with cell manufacturers and automotive OEMs to address numerous development and production challenges related to cells. Leveraging the expertise of our engineers who have extensive experience in the lithium-ion battery field, we offer comprehensive solutions from cell design to mass production. In this presentation, we will showcase the development methodologies using the Beff Platform, complemented by real-world examples.

In this lecture I will share our latest research works on battery manufacturing digitalisation. I will present a combination of deep learning and physics-based numerical models allowing optimisation of the manufacturing process of lithium-ion, sodium-ion, and solid-state battery electrodes and cells. This combination provides fast prediction capabilities of the manufacturing/properties linkages along with physical insights into the processing of electrodes and cells.

To improve specific steps of cell production, we propose to complement experimental methods with physical simulation models. Here, we will discuss a model for the simulation of the time-consuming electrolyte wetting process. We will discuss how the wetting time is predicted, touch on the issue of model parameterisation, and show how it can be coupled to electrochemical simulations. Establishing this link helps in the interpretation of characterisation experiments.

CPI supports partners in the battery-materials and cell-technology areas to accelerate the translation of their innovations from lab- to commercial-scale. We undertake materials scale-up, automated formulation, coating, and characterisation, alongside extensive know-how in process chemistry and engineering. Here we present case studies demonstrating our work in this field with examples of materials, slurry, and cell development. Use of our materials scale-up facility (AMBIC) will also be detailed.

Turning the pressure control into a new standard for battery management systems, BATTBELT technology aims to extend the life of batteries, developing new products from the mechanical management point of view, without compromising either their energy density or their cost, thanks to a new and revolutionary compression system for batteries. This allows warranty period extension by reducing replacements, mitigates the range reduction, and allows higher C-rates without lifespan reduction.

BATMACHINE project is a Horizon Europe-funded project that aims to boost Europe’s sustainable industrial battery cell manufacturing value chain by developing an optimized machinery with intelligent control processes to minimize costs, waste and energy consumption. The core vision of BATMACHINE is to improve and strengthen EU battery cell industrial production by developing new manufacturing machines that minimize energy required for production, increase efficiency rates, and integrate AI-based control processes to reduce scrap. BATMACHINE develops and implements an optimised and energy efficient process chain, taking into account a slurry mixer: An automated modular process including monitoring techniques; and a coater: Exclusive novel roll-to-roll slot-die coating and drying machinery. Intelligent control processes and Industry 4.0 will be intensively integrated through the creation of a collaborative and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data space for battery production. Digital interfaces between battery manufacturing equipment, control systems and engineers will be developed with the aim of creating universal digitalisation tools to improve battery production and create a battery passport; The environmental and economic impact of different machinery, production line configurations and factory designs will be studied to reduce the cost and energy consumption of the manufacturing process.

The global acceleration towards sustainable energy calls for manufacturing innovations that produce high-performance batteries at low cost while eliminating carbon emissions. AM Batteries' Powder-to-Electrode technology delivers superior electrode performance through a streamlined three-step process: dry mixing, dry deposition, and mechanical compression. In this symposium, we will highlight how our dry manufacturing technology demonstrates significant performance advantages over other electrode production methods.

DRYtraec process represents a disruptive advancement in dry electrode manufacturing, addressing critical limitations of Maxwell-type processes. Using a speed roll differential to apply precise shear forces, DRYtraec produces thin, uniform electrodes in a single pass, enabling a broader process window and minimizing material waste and degradation. In contrast, Maxwell-type processes, which rely on uniform roll speeds and uniaxial compression, often require multiple calendering cycles to achieve adequate thickness, limiting scalability. This presentation explores the micro- and macroscale of DRYtraec method, highlighting its ability to enhance electrode quality and electrochemical performance, offering a sustainable, high-performance solution for lithium-ion and solid-state batteries.

Solid-state Li-ion batteries (SSLiB) is a superior class of successor to today’s lithium-ion batteries (LiBs). Despite promising potentials offered, all-solid-state batteries (ASSB) need addressing several technical/commercial challenges before its mass production can be achieved. Over recent years, semi-solid-state batteries (SSSB), as a type of intermediate state battery, have been rapidly developed for commercialisation. This talk will discuss (1) feasible approach for a cost-effective adoption of today’s LiB technology for commercial manufacturing of SSSB, and (2) challenges and promising paths for ASSB toward scale-up manufacturing, presenting our years’ efforts in these aspects including the establishment of pilot-scale production for these batteries.

In order to securely “twin” a real battery with its cloud-based virtual twin, one needs to use tags or unique markings in transporting goods and parts for batteries, implement unique IDs in cells and modules, secure storage on a battery level, and have communication methods that respect CRA and GDPR together with the DPP and EU battery regulation.

One of the biggest challenges with solid-state batteries is to scale up their production, while maintaining high quality. In my presentation, I will show examples of challenges in upscaling of solid-state battery manufacturing from lab- to pilot-scale, and give suggestions on how to get more battery innovations from lab to industry.