Batteries are a key technology for electrification. A powerful battery industry secures supply chains, promotes innovation, and strengthens the competitiveness of the automotive and energy industries. In order to establish a sustainable battery industry and promote innovation at all levels of the value chain, in all detail stages and all implementation dimensions, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) launched the “Battery Cell Production Germany” initiative in November 2018.
The activities have been continuously expanded since then and currently include the promotion of large-scale innovation and investment projects by individual companies, the promotion of industry-driven research and development, and support for new qualification concepts for the requirements of a future battery industry.
The starting point for promoting innovative companies in the field of battery manufacturing was two “Important Projects of Common European Interest,” known as Battery IPCEIs. With the IPCEI instrument, the European Commission enables EU member states to support national companies in their research, development, and innovation efforts in such a way that they can subsequently occupy a significantly stronger position in global competition. Under the umbrella of the battery IPCEIs, the BMWE therefore promotes industrial investment projects that are particularly innovative and aim at large-scale production of energy storage systems, battery cells and materials, or sustainable recycling processes. The BMWE works closely with 14 other EU member states and partner countries. With the support of VDI/VDE-IT, it is also coordinating part of the two-part IPCEI, the IPCEI “European Battery Innovation” (EuBatIn). In total, more than 50 companies are working together under the Battery IPCEIs, which are funded by the participating member states with a volume of up to €6.1 billion.
The BMWE is further strengthening the development of the German value chain through its funding measure “Resilience and Sustainability of the Battery Cell Manufacturing Ecosystem.” This is based on the European Commission's Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework (TCTF), which makes it easier to provide funding for investments in transformation technologies. The funding measure focuses on large-scale investment projects along the entire battery value chain, from raw materials to battery cells and subsequent recycling. With its battery initiative, the BMWE not only aims to establish the battery value chain, but also to ensure that expertise is continuously expanded from raw materials to application in products and subsequent recycling and reuse, and that this expertise is transferred to industrial implementation. To this end, the various investment projects in Germany and additional accompanying measures are being coordinated and cooperation between project partners is being promoted. The “Research in Battery Cell Manufacturing” funding initiative supports project consortia involving small and medium-sized enterprises, large companies, and research and educational institutions. These projects form an innovation base to support the industrial production of battery cells in Germany. The BMWE is funding more than 40 project consortia in two different modules. In the first module for research in the priority area of battery cell production in 2021, classic industrial research and development projects will be funded with a focus on four key topics: sustainability of batteries, including recycling; digitization of production and the life cycle; innovative testing and certification procedures; and the application of next-generation battery cell technologies. The second module focuses on qualification and training measures.
As a competent partner of the BMWE, VDI/VDE-IT supports the funding measures for battery cell production both in the implementation of the project management for the BMWE and through scientific support. The team of more than 40 internal and external experts supports the “New Drive Technologies, Electromobility, Environmental Innovations” department at the BMWE in national funding and in coordinating EuBatIn at the European level.
The scientific support services “Battery Cell Production” and “Battery System Integration” provide strategic support to the BMWE in implementing its funding activities. Sustainable and high-performance batteries require technical innovations along the entire value chain, from environmentally friendly production to the recycling of important raw materials. With the ramp-up of production, questions about the integration of batteries into the energy system are also coming into focus. Key topics here are the development of new areas of application, such as the decarbonization of heavy-duty transport, and the targeted system integration of stationary and mobile energy storage systems to provide flexibility for the electricity system. An interdisciplinary team from VDI/VDE-IT and its partners TÜV Rheinland Forschungs- und Innovationsmanagement GmbH and TU Berlin is supporting the funded projects and the development of the ecosystem in these areas by bringing together the strengths of industry, science, and politics through knowledge transfer and networking, generating new insights, creating a solid knowledge base, and supporting the decision-making process of relevant stakeholders.
