New foundation launched to drive European innovation in the production of battery cells

New foundation launched to drive European innovation in the production of battery cells

The ‘Technology Cluster Battery Cell’, brings together research institutions and industrial players to create new methods and toolchains to accelerate the end-to-end process of battery cell development through to scaled production

Aachen/Munich, November 9, 2023

Capgemini, Fraunhofer Research Institution for Battery Cell Production FFB, PEM Motion and the Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM) of RWTH Aachen University announce the foundation of the “Technology Cluster Battery Cell”. The initiative aims to take advantage of new technologies, such as AI, to develop differentiating methods and tools to drive innovation in the production of battery cells. The final objective is to halve the development time of a battery cell – its design and prototyping through to its industrialization – from 3 to 4 years to 1 to 2 years.

By combining their complementary capabilities and infrastructure, scientists and industry partners are together creating a dedicated research and development network with competencies along the entire battery cell value chain. The new cluster aims to extend the collaboration to the larger battery ecosystem, including manufacturers for cells and their components, software vendors, and automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).

“Processes for developing and producing new battery cells are currently too slow and prices are too high,” said Professor Achim Kampker, Managing Director of Fraunhofer FFB, Director of PEM and shareholder of PEM Motion. “With this initiative, thanks to the strong partnerships and innovative digital solutions that we will develop, we are aiming to make the European industry for battery cells more competitive.”

William Rozé, CEO of Capgemini Engineering and Member of the Capgemini Group Executive Board, said: “We are enthusiastic to join forces with the leading minds from research institutes as well as industrial players, to accelerate towards a sustainable and more competitive battery industry in Germany and Europe. Through the Technology Cluster Battery Cell initiative, we are aiming to build an open and value-oriented ecosystem that generates synergies in all phases of the cell development process. Our objective is to create significant value for the battery ecosystem and the electric mobility industry as a whole.”

From a scientific perspective, Fraunhofer FFB will bring its unique infrastructure and capabilities for large-scale battery cell production, and RWTH Aachen University’s PEM chair its deep experience in technology-driven research in almost all areas of the electric mobility value chain.

From an industry perspective, Capgemini will bring its expertise in product and process simulation and data-driven optimization. PEM Motion – a spin-off from the Chair of “Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components” of RWTH Aachen University – will add its extensive experience in innovative battery cell development and production processes.

About Capgemini

Capgemini is a global leader in partnering with companies to transform and manage their business by harnessing the power of technology. The Group is guided everyday by its purpose of unleashing human energy through technology for an inclusive and sustainable future. It is a responsible and diverse organization of nearly 350,000 team members in more than 50 countries. With its strong 55-year heritage and deep industry expertise, Capgemini is trusted by its clients to address the entire breadth of their business needs, from strategy and design to operations, fueled by the fast evolving and innovative world of cloud, data, AI, connectivity, software, digital engineering and platforms. The Group reported in 2022 global revenues of €22 billion.
Get The Future You Want | www.capgemini.com

Press contact Capgemini: Barbara Schaffrath
Email: barbara.schaffrath@capgemini.com

About Fraunhofer FFB

The Fraunhofer Research Institution for Battery Cell Production FFB is a facility of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft at the Münster site. Its concept provides for a combination of laboratory and production research for different battery cell formats – round cell, prismatic cell and pouch cell. Fraunhofer FFB employees research individual process steps or the entire production chain as required. Together with the project partners of the Battery Research Center MEET of the WWU Münster, the Chair PEM of the RWTH Aachen and the Research Center Jülich, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is creating an infrastructure in Münster that will enable small, medium-sized and large companies, as well as research institutions, to test, implement and optimize the near-series production of new batteries. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia are funding the establishment of the Fraunhofer FFB as part of the “FoFeBat” project with a total of up to 680 million euros.
finance.yahoo.com

Join us, as fellow seekers of change, on a transformative journey at https://sdgtalks.ai/welcome, where you can become a member and actively contribute to shaping a brighter future.