In recent years, the battery industry has become one of the key suppliers for many industries. With the increasing demand for mobile energy sources, the number of players along the battery value chain is also growing worldwide. A transformation of the mobility industry can clearly be observed. Whether in the extraction of raw materials, production of components, cell formation or battery integration, the impact of this transformation is being felt globally at all stages of the value chain. Due to the steadily increasing expansion of electromobility, many of the value chains end in Europe, as many key players in the automotive industry are based here. This strengthens the local market for battery integration and recycling. Nevertheless, sales growth can also be observed in the steps upstream of battery use.

Rising raw material prices and the goal of sustainable production have triggered the trend of increasingly seeking European sources of raw materials to produce battery cells. These offer a number of advantages, such as cheaper and more environmentally friendly production, faster delivery, as well as security of supply and the possibility of creating regional value chains. In addition, the scarcity of primary raw materials as well as efforts to establish a circular economy for battery cell production in Europe has increased the need to obtain secondary raw materials from recycling, which in many cases can be added as additives to cell production. Accordingly, a wide range of activities can be seen in the Re-X sector from collaborations between OEMs, established technology companies and established recycling companies in the European market.

Battery manufacturing requires industrial plant technology that can meet the high demands in terms of throughput, process quality and degree of automation. Due to the increasing demand for lithium-ion batteries from the mobility sector, but also for stationary applications, the market segment has developed rapidly in recent years. Currently, Asian companies dominate the supply field of equipment technology in the global battery cell manufacturing market. The report looks at how the European industry is addressing this situation through innovation and by keeping up with trends and European requirements.

In recent years, cell manufacturing in Europe has picked up speed. According to announcements, 20 new gigafactories of European and non-European operators are to be built in Europe by 2030. The battery cells produced there will be used in particular in the field of electromobility. In addition, there are cell manufacturers without a direct link to the automotive industry that focus on particularly innovative or sustainable technologies. The development stage of these companies ranges from project announcement to already started production.

The innovation paths of the Fraunhofer Research Fabrication Battery Cell FFB facility aim to support industrial partners in finding solutions to R&D challenges. To this end, production lines and laboratories are being set up that make it possible to investigate technologies depending on their maturity and fit to the appropriate scaling level of manufacturing. In addition to the physical infrastructure, digital twins of the cell production lines will bundle data, generate further process understanding and thus contribute to accelerating technological development times.

The "FoFeBat" project and Fraunhofer's contribution to battery research

The study was carried out as part of the "FoFeBat" project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research BMBF. The aim of the project is to set up the Battery Cell Research Fabrication FFB in Münster, a Fraunhofer facility that will enable research and development on battery cell production up to the GWh scale. In particular, Fraunhofer FFB will take up technologies of high maturity (from prototype stage) and scale them up to industrial applicability.

The environment report, prepared jointly by the Fraunhofer facilities and institutes FFB, IPT and ISI as well as the Chair PEM of RWTH Aachen University, provides on the one hand an insight into trends and challenges of the European battery market. On the other hand, it simultaneously identifies important R&D topics that are being addressed by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft or other players in the battery R&D landscape. The results of the report, especially the view on developments in the industry, are to be used for the further orientation of the Fraunhofer FFB and support the emerging and on the battery industry in Germany and Europe oriented offer.