Saft is building an alliance with other European partners to launch an ambitious research, development and industrialization program for new generations of high density and solid state Li-ion batteries.
The program addresses all market segments, such as electro-mobility (EV, e-Bus, Rail, Marine, Aviation), energy storage (ESS) and specialized industries. These new generation batteries will provide advantages in performance, cost and safety, compared to current Li-ion products.
The batteries, which will be perfectly integrated into their system environments, with digitized functions and interfaces, are planned for design together with leading suppliers in the sector. They will comply with the most stringent standards for sustainable development, Saft explains in a statement.
Li-ion
“If the development is successful, the next step will be to jointly work with industrial partners in new manufacturing processes and in the industrialization of cells and systems, which will lead to a 1GWh standard block of easily scalable manufacturing,” they explain.
Saft warns that to build European leadership in this field, with disruptive technologies, innovative products and cutting-edge industrial processes, the Alliance will need strong regulatory support and adequate funding from European and national authorities.
The program addresses all market segments, such as electro-mobility (EV, e-Bus, Rail, Marine, Aviation), energy storage (ESS) and specialized industries.
“Saft has 100 years of experience in research, development and manufacturing of high performance industrial batteries, including more than 25 years in Li-ion,” said Ghislain Lescuyer, CEO of Saft. “Batteries are at the core of the current technological revolution. Their development and production plays a strategic role in the ongoing transition to clean mobility and clean energy systems,” he added.
Some of the European companies, well recognized in their fields of specialization, have already committed to working with Saft in the area of materials, equipment and digitalization of industrial processes.
Such is the case of:
- Solvay, headquartered in Belgium, is a multinational company in the fields of materials and chemicals that brings its solid experience in polymer and electrolyte solutions;
- Manz, headquartered in Germany, is the European specialist in equipment for the assembly of cells and battery modules;
- Siemens, with headquarters in Germany, is a global technology power that equips the Industry 4.0 manufacturing facilities with software and automation solutions
- And other leading European companies working in the fields of the integration of active systems and materials.
While this alliance is not exclusive of other agreements or partnerships, the companies will jointly work over the next seven years to achieve common ambition. Throughout the different phases of the project, the main group of the Alliance will partner with European academic institutions, research centers, SMEs, clients and other entities to take advantage of the vast experience accumulated throughout Europe, the statement concludes.