The Swedish Battery Manufacturer Northvolt has become one of the biggest European battery supplier for EV markets. In June 2021, companies such as the BMW Group, Volkswagen Group, among other European OEMs, have announced they would invest in the company. In total, the investments sum up to 1 billion US dollars - or more.

The company is currently building a battery gigafactory in Skellefteå, Sweden. The first #battery from Skellefteå Gigafactory was assembled in December 2021, the production for commercial uses is planned to start in 2022. Northvolt's plan is to increase production capacity as large as 32 gigawatt-hours by 2023. The factory will be "the largest in Swedish history", creating challenges for newcomers and the existing community.

Northvolt also recently announced to build a secondary gigafactory in Heide, Germany. Powered by the cleanest electricity grid in Germany, Northvolt "Drei" is supposedly positioned to produce the cleanest batteries in continental Europe with capacity up to 60 GWh, #Northvolt stated.

https://www.hiu-batteries.de/en/

Bam! In July 2021 the largest Chinese manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries CATL ("Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited") unveiled its latest breakthrough technology by releasing its first generation of sodium-ion batteries (SIBs).

Based on a series of innovations in the chemistry system, CATL’s first generation of SIBs has the advantages of comparatively high-energy density, fast-charging capability, great low-temperature performance and high-integration efficiency, among others.

The energy density of CATL’s SIB cell can supposedly achieve up to 160Wh/kg, and the battery can charge in 15 minutes to 80% at room temperature. Moreover, in a low-temperature environment of -20°C, the sodium-ion battery has a capacity retention rate of more than 90%, and its system integration efficiency can reach more than 80%. These are impressive results when comparing to nowadays lithium-ion battery performance numbers.

We asked our guest Prof. Dr. Stefano Passerini to take a stand regarding the latest research findings on SIBs. What are the main differences concerning the abundance of the used materials, sustainability, recycling, price, energy density and safety issues.

https://www.hiu-batteries.de/en/

Electric Vehicle markets in Europe are rapidly growing. Many manufacturers are already building gigafactories to soon produce millions of batteries for electric vehicles! Nevertheless, there are still critics who do not "believe" in the overall benefits that come with EVs: The range of these vehicles is still too short, safety issues unsolved, battery recycling seems to be a problem, cost development is uncertain - and especially sustainabily matters remain unanswered. Is that true?

Well, our guest Prof. Dr. Maximilian Fichtner has a clear opinion on all these myths. "An electric vehicle is surely not the ultimate solution of all the world's current climate problems. But, most of the popular disadvantages of EVs, that are still being told, are fairy tales that might have been true 10 or 15 years ago", he states. "Neither safety, nor costs, nor material shortages nor charging issues will hinder emobility from prospering. EVs are simply environmentally more friendly than combustion engine cars: "When you buy an electric vehicle today, you are most certain to less harm the environment in a very short amount of range and time - compared to an ICE car."

In this episode we ask our guest Prof. Dr. Maximilian Fichtner which hurdles the emobility has yet to take and of course, we wondered which cell chemistries are being used in future batteries.

https://www.hiu-batteries.de/en/

It's the beginning of 2022 and Battery Research has gotten a lot of attention recently. We see rising electric vehicle sales, the world is building gigafactories, Europe is talking about electrifying cars, bikes, trucks, trains – even ships and planes.

Your hosts Patrick and Lennart introduce you to the subject of this podcast. Patrick and Lennart will talk to European battery scientists, who develop future materials for batteries. Battery Generation will cover new cell chemistries, solid-state-batteries and sustainability issues. Such as over exploitation of nature, battery lifespan and recycling. But also classic topics like price, safety and production.