The Nextcell project, funded by the EU with €8 mn, aims to develop a new generation of high-performance lithium-ion battery cells. Led by FEV, 17 partners from ten EU countries seek to establish “gellified battery cells” in what sounds like an approach to semi-solid state cells.
Varta has put the construction of a factory for electric car battery cells on hold for the time being for cost reasons, as the company announced in its current annual report. The construction of the new factory for the V4Drive battery is to be continued only after binding customer commitments.
Varta has announced bundling the e-mobility and battery businesses into a separate company, confirming rumours from earlier this year. The new V4Drive SE will target the fast-growing market for large-format lithium-ion cells, says Varta.
An Austrian consortium is researching significant improvements to lithium-ion batteries as part of the “OpMoSi” project. The aim of the project is to increase the energy density of cells by 20 to 30 per cent at 1,000 charges.
The battery manufacturer Varta, which presented its new battery cell V4Drive for electric vehicles last year, has founded a new subsidiary for e-mobility, according to a media report. At the end of March, Varta wants to give details about the new subsidiary.
Varta has announced larger lithium-ion round cells for battery electric vehicles. These cells are said to go beyond the 21700 format and, unlike the V4Drive cells shown so far, are also suitable as a sole traction battery. However, the focus remains on performance vehicles.
Continental’s development and production service provider Continental Engineering Services (CES) is cooperating with the battery specialist Varta. In an initial pilot project, both partners have developed a replaceable 48-volt battery pack for electric two-wheelers with a drive power of 10 kW or more.
Varta confirms Porsche as the first client for the company’s novel battery cell V4Drive, which debuted in April, already hinting at sports and performance electric cars. The new deal may see the Varta batteries boosting the Porsche Taycan or electric 911 in future.
The EU-funded project Amapola which is focussing on a marketable polymer-based Al-S battery has announced it will be developing an aluminium-sulphur battery for vehicles and aircraft. The aim is to develop an Al-S cell that achieves very high energy density values (660 Wh/l or 400 Wh/kg) and uses the advantages of innovative polymer gel electrolytes.
The German battery group Varta has received its first order for its new high-performance round cell V4Drive in 21700 format presented at the beginning of April. The name of the customer from the automotive sector has not been released. Varta also announced that it will develop larger lithium-ion round cells in the future.
After the announcement in March, the battery manufacturer Varta has presented its new large battery cell called ‘V4Drive’. The round cell in 21700 format is to be produced on a pilot line this year, but the schedule for series production has not yet been revealed.
Varta CEO Herbert Schein has now confirmed the rumour that the company also wants to produce battery cells for electric cars in the future and revealed more details about the initiative. Production is scheduled to start in 2024 at the latest. Varta presented impressive performance data for the cells themselves and special applications.
German battery group Varta is cooperating with the Austrian two-wheeler manufacturer KTM in the field of low-voltage battery platforms for electric two-wheelers from 250 watts to 20 kW peak power. The duo aims to “set accents in the development of two-wheeled electric vehicles.”
The battery manufacturer Varta aims to get involved in the market for electric car battery cells in the future. Up to now, the German company has primarily produced batteries for household electronics but has been involved in cell research for some time.
The University of Bayreuth, together with renowned industrial partners such as Tesla Germany and Varta Microbattery, will develop novel battery separators made of glass. The joint project, called GlasSeLIB (glass separators for lithium-ion batteries), started today.
Varta has now received funding positive decisions from the Germany federal government and the states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg concerning 300 million euros for projects involving battery cells. The subsidy was approved by the EU Commission in December 2019 and the decisions have now been sent to Varta.
This week, the EU Commission gave the go-ahead for what is being called “the battery alliance” in seven European countries. Subsidies were approved for 32 GWh battery cell production with PSA and Saft at the Opel factory in Kaiserslautern, Germany and an identical plant in France, making a total production capacity of 64 GWh.
The European Commission has now approved funding totalling 3.2 billion euros for pan-European research and innovation projects by seven Member States in all segments of the battery value chain. Among others, Opel and BMW will benefit from the funds.
In the latest development in Europe’s battery production ambitions, the second consortium is taking shape with German and European governmental support. The participating countries have agreed the consortium’s work programme.
The German BMBF, that is the Ministry for Education, plans to decide on the location of a research factory for cell production on June 7. Moreover, the German government is also planning to pay the first half of the money for the planned cell production factories this June as well.
Six consortia have so far submitted applications for funding to set up battery cell production in Germany. These include prominent names such as BASF, VW, PSA, BMW and Northvolt. Meanwhile e.Go-Mobile CEO Günther Schuh is leaving the consortium that wants to bring a cell factory to Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia region.
At the beginning of the year, the Fraunhofer Institute ISC and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (Empa) launched a joint research project called IE4B to create the basis for production-ready solid-state batteries for electric cars.
The commercial storage solution Varta flex storage will be available for charging EVs in car dealerships across Europe, in order to help buffer grid impact, among other things. The background is a recently agreed cooperation between Varta Storage with the Volkswagen subsidiary Porsche Holding Salzburg.
The TerraE consortium that had planned to set up a mega battery cell production in Germany has failed as none of the businesses involved was ready to shoulder the investment, reports German media. TerraE thus follows other players in the country that continue to ignore the government calling on them to do their bit.
German Varta wants to form a new unit for the production of batteries for electric transport applications with a partner. So far, Varta has been only active in R&D. Talks are underway with large automotive companies.
Swedish-German pedelec: Höganäs has partnered with Varta to complete their Eclino e-bike system in time for the Eurobike Show. The drive system is based on Höganäs’ transversal flux motor, while the Engion battery comes from Varta Microbattery. The first to apply the drive is Ohm Cycles from Canada. hoganas.com
The Model S lost weight since the start of production, shedding a few hundred pounds already. This could be one of the reasons why it has also became faster and now accelerates from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds, 0.5 sec less than before and can also go a few extra miles per charge. electrek.co
Butts to store energy: Korean scientists are using cellulose acetate fibres, the main component of cigarette filters, to transform them into a carbon-based material using a burning technique called pyrolysis. The resulting material is said to coat the electrodes of supercapacitors. phys.org
Hybrid rickshaw retrofit: Students from the University of Colorado formed a company called Surya Conversions, which is currently asking for funding for its conversion kit. It is designed to turn India’s three-wheeled mini cabs into hybrids at a cost of about 600 dollars. dailycamera.com
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Most clicked links on Thursday was Klever’s foldable e-bike together with the Origins clip featuring a Tesla Model S. bike-eu.com (Klever), vimeo.com (Origins)