Dear battery enthusiast,
Welcome to Battery Associates’ July Newsletter. We have summarised some of the month’s most relevant battery news, highlighting technology and research development, and updates from Battery Associates.
Battery Newsletter structure:
Battery Industry Highlights
B.A Editorial
Product Launch offer
Battery Insiders Podcast
B.A Updates & Events
Battery Industry Highlights
In this section, we have summarised relevant battery news from the past month.
On July 24, Stellantis and Samsung SDI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish their second joint venture Li-ion battery manufacturing facility in the U.S. with an annual nameplate production capacity of 34 GWh. The production is expected to start by 2027 with an initial annual production of 23 GWh.
B.A Commentary: In May 2022, Stellantis and Samsung signed an agreement to establish a joint venture battery manufacturing facility in Indiana, U.S. In order to support Stellantis' rapid electrification plan, both parties agreed to establish their second joint venture Li-ion battery manufacturing facility in the U.S., but the exact location of the facility is not yet finalised.
On July 19, the Tata Group announced approximately USD 5 billion to establish an electric car battery manufacturing facility in the United Kingdom with an initial production capacity of 40GWh. The facility is expected to start mass production by 2023, and it is estimated that this facility alone will provide almost half of the UK’s battery production needs by 2030.
B.A Commentary: Tata Sons' group chose the UK to establish their first overseas Li-ion battery production facility. This facility is expected to supply batteries for JLR's future battery-electric models, including the Range Rover, Defender, Discovery, and Jaguar brands, with the potential to also supply other car manufacturers. The UK government has also provided a financial commitment to help this project through The Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF), but the details of the funding have not been published yet. It has been stated that the details of government support to Tata Sons will be published in due course of time.
On July 17, the Spanish car manufacturer SEAT SA allocated an additional investment of €300 million for establishing a battery pack assembly plant in Martorell, Catalonia. This extra investment is expected to create more than 400 direct jobs and over 100 indirect jobs. Upon completion, the plant will assemble Power Co battery cells manufactured in its battery manufacturing plant in Valencia. Additionally, this assembly facility will produce some of Volkswagen Group's electric cars, including the CUPRA Raval. Construction is expected to commence in the coming weeks and is scheduled for completion in 2025.
B.A Commentary: In December 2020, the Spanish government launched its Strategic Project for Economic Recovery and Transformation (PERTE). Following that, in March 2022, Volkswagen and SEAT S.A. announced their commitment to invest more than 7 billion euros in Spain. They applied for the PERTE CEV project and received by far the largest share, approximately €397 million, for their "Future: Fast Forward" initiative. This funding included support for the electrification of their Martorell and Pamplona plants and the localisation of the electric battery production value chain in Valencia.
In May 2023, the European Commission approved €837 million in funding for the production of batteries. The funds are expected to be delivered to the recipient no later than December 2025.
On July 6, Svolt Energy announced its plan to construct a battery pack assembly facility in Thailand with an anticipated annual production capacity of 60,000 battery packs. The plant will have two production lines: one for the production of modules for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) while the other focuses on producing modules and packs for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Construction of the plant is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
B.A Commentary: Svolt Energy has a strong customer base in Thailand, including automakers like GWM and Hozon Auto. They plan to partner with Svolt Energy to jointly develop batteries for their EVs. In addition to its current customers, Svolt announced that it is initiating business negotiations with local companies in Thailand to further expand its customer base.
On July 1, the Argentinian government announced that their state-owned battery company was being built by YPF Tecnologia (Y-TEC), a subsidiary of a state-owned energy and chemicals firm. YPF has planned to start its Li-ion battery manufacturing by September. This will be Argentina’s first Li-ion battery manufacturing company.
B.A Commentary: The plant was originally scheduled to mass-produce Li-ion batteries last year, but due to various market strategy reasons, the production start time was postponed. The battery plant will receive metals from the local processing plant run by the American company Livent Corp. It is seen as an attempt by the Argentine government to add value to the raw materials available in the country.
On July 13, the battery manufacturer Freyer Battery announced that the company had been awarded a €100 million grant from the European Union to support the development of FREYR’s Giga Arctic battery manufacturing project in Norway. It will have an annual nameplate production capacity of 29GWh based on the 24M Technologies SemiSolidTM manufacturing platform.
B.A Commentary: The EU aims to fund €40 billion from 2020 to 2030 for a climate-neutral future within the region. The fund is financed by the sale of carbon allowances under the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). The EU's Innovation Fund is allocated to companies based on key performance indices, including the effectiveness of greenhouse gas emissions avoidance, degree of innovation, project maturity, replicability, and cost efficiency.
On July 13, Vianode, a Norwegian producer of advanced battery materials, was selected for a €90 million EU Innovation Fund. Vianode is backed by Elkem, Hydro, and Altor Equity Partners’ Fund V the company is now scaling up large-scale innovative production of EV battery-grade synthetic graphite materials.
B.A Commentary: The grant awarded by the European Commission through the EU Innovation Fund to Vianode is part of a €3.6 billion funding round for 41 clean tech projects. Vianode is expected to produce anode graphite for approximately 20,000 electric vehicles (EVs) per year by 2024. The grants are disbursed flexibly, based on project financing needs considering the milestones achieved during the project's lifetime. For more details, please refer to the infographics.
B.A Editorial B.A Editorial is a monthly news article curated by the B.A Community
"Catalyzing Low-Carbon Growth: Grants and Investments in the European Battery Industry”
We've observed a growing trend in government subsidies to bolster and expedite battery manufacturing. In addition, it is crucial to allocate necessary grants and funds to pioneering innovative industrial projects within the battery ecosystem, thereby fostering a robust, low-carbon battery industry. In the United States, the Department of Energy (DoE) has already implemented substantial measures, disbursing grants to various industrial battery projects.
Within the European Union, the flagship Horizon Europe initiative has earmarked significant grants for diverse industries and academic institutions, propelling innovation in battery technology. Recent times have witnessed a marked upsurge in the allocation of grants to industrial projects, aimed at cultivating a resilient battery ecosystem within the EU, characterised by low-carbon technologies.
In 2021, the European Innovation Fund allocated numerous innovation funds to various forward-looking projects, with three battery-specific endeavors being selected for the EU Innovation Fund: ReLieVe - Recycling Li-ion Batteries for Electric Vehicles from France, CarBatteryReFactory from Germany, and the Green Foil project from Sweden.
Moving into 2023, Norwegian battery manufacturers Freyr Batteries and synthetic anode manufacturer Vianode have been the chosen recipients of the European Innovation Fund. In addition to EU funding, France, one of the member states, has announced a substantial €1.5 billion grant for Taiwanese solid-state battery manufacturer Prologium Technologies, aimed at expediting solid-state research in France.
As the trend of substantial subsidies to expedite battery production persists, a new trend is emerging: investments geared toward accelerating innovative solutions to maintain competitiveness in the battery market. For example, In April 2023, South Korea revealed its intention to invest $15 billion by 2030 in the advancement of cutting-edge battery technologies. We eagerly await the unfolding of these investments in the future.
Product Launch offer
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Battery Insiders Podcast Summary
Battery Associates runs a monthly podcast called Battery Insiders. Battery Insiders covers the role of batteries for sustainable development and battery-relevant topics featuring a range of battery experts and enthusiasts. Our podcast also includes the recordings of the Battery Revolution Clubhouse sessions co-hosted live by Mariam Awara. Battery Insiders is hosted by Bhavya Jha and Dr. Simon Engelke.
Talk on: Research & Development in Batteries
Speaker: Israel Temprano, Senior Research Associate at University of Cambridge hosted by Dr. Simon Engelke.
Session Summary: On 9 May 2023, Battery Associates hosted Israel Temprano, Senior Research Associate at University of Cambridge, who spoke on Research & Development in Batteries. This podcast episode highlights the increasing demand for battery research due to the growing electric vehicle market, leading to the emergence of consortiums and research institutions dedicated to studying batteries from different perspectives. Israel Temprano also emphasises the difference between the academic and industrial sides of battery research, focusing on the growing interest from companies in advanced techniques. Listen to the full conversation here.
Talk on: Automotive Markets in Europe
Speaker: Julia Poliscanova, Senior Director, Vehicles & Emobility at Transport & Environment (T&E) hosted by Dr. Simon Engelke.
Session Summary: On May 09, 2023, Battery Associates hosted Julia Poliscanova, Senior Director, Vehicles & Emobility at Transport & Environment (T&E), who spoke on Automotive Markets in Europe. In this conversation, Julia and Simon discuss how the automotive sector has shifted focus on batteries, supply chains, and raw materials, emphasising sustainability and resilience. The episode also features the state of the European automotive sector in relation to electric vehicles and battery production. Listen to the full conversation here.
Battery Associates Updates & Events
Battery101
Battery Day 2023
BatteryMBA September Cohort
Battery101
Battery Associates is offering 1000 scholarships for Battery101, an on-demand entry-level course by 21st September 2023. This online and on-demand course is perfect for anyone eager to learn or refresh the basics about battery technology. You can also refer someone who could benefit from this course. Apply for a scholarship here.
Battery Day 2023 Join us on Thursday, September 21, 2023, for our online annual event - Battery Day 2023. Register here. Battery Day 2023 will feature panels and deep dive sessions to facilitate up-to-date knowledge of different battery technologies, future chemistries, applications, and market insights from leading battery experts. Battery Day 2023 has secured 3 sponsors - Circulor, Accure & TWAICE! If you are interested in being involved in the event, please contact info@battery.associates. Sponsoring and speaking opportunities are still available for certain slots.
BatteryMBA Announcement
BatteryMBA’s ninth cohort starts on September 18, apply here! The course consists of an exciting battery case study track (with case studies from leading business schools). BatteryMBA alumni and participants work at Tesla, Airbus, JLR, Farasis Energy, Li-Cycle, Hitachi Energy, InoBat, AVL, Circulor, European Parliament, and many others. If you have any queries, reach out to us via email at info@battery.mba. Need-based scholarships and group discounts are available.
Battery Associates services
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About Battery Associates
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