Advancements in Battery Technology: Transforming Raw Materials into Next-Generation Electric Car Batteries

From Raw Material to an (Almost) Finished Car Battery

Newswise — In Europe, the sale of new combustion engine vehicles will cease after 2035. Achieving this ambitious goal requires one critical element: improved batteries that enable electric cars to charge faster, travel longer distances, and have a reduced ecological footprint. Numerous significant research projects are assisting the battery and automotive industries in developing the future of batteries. One such initiative is the Horizon 2020 project, SeNSE, which successfully concluded in early 2024. This four-year EU project, with a budget exceeding €10 million, was initiated and led by researchers from Empa’s Materials for Energy Conversion laboratory. At the time of the proposal call, this relatively new laboratory was not widely recognized in the field of battery research. Laboratory head Corsin Battaglia understood that to be included in a European battery project, he and his team needed to spearhead one themselves. They accomplished this by persuading institutions and industrial companies from across the globe to collaborate, securing the necessary funding together.

Technologies for Today

The SeNSE project’s goals were both practical and ambitious. The eleven collaborators sought to develop solutions for the next generation of lithium-ion batteries—the immediate next generation, as emphasized by Battaglia. This meant that by the project’s conclusion, the developed materials and technologies should be as close as possible to industrial-scale production, making them ready for use in electric vehicles. Battaglia stated, “We are also researching battery technologies that have the potential to surpass lithium-ion batteries in sustainability, safety, and energy density. However, it will still take a few years before these can be produced on an industrial scale. In SeNSE, we aimed to develop technologies that could be integrated into market-ready electric cars within a few years.”

To achieve these objectives, the teams involved navigated almost the entire battery production value chain within just four years—from developing new materials and scaling them up to integrating them into battery cells. The pouch cells, which are roughly the size of a smartphone, were manufactured by the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT). FPT Motorenforschung AG, the innovation center of the FPT Industrial brand, part of the Iveco Group, was able to integrate these cells into a functional module akin to those used in electric vehicles, complete with the necessary electronics and software.

All Components Improved

The SeNSE module offers several enhancements compared to current batteries: increased energy density, a more favorable environmental impact, rapid charging capabilities, enhanced fire safety, and cost-effectiveness. All core components of the battery were advanced throughout the project. The cathode now contains only half as much of the critical raw material cobalt as traditional batteries. In the anode, some of the graphite—which is also considered critical due to its role in battery production—was replaced with silicon, one of the most abundant elements in the Earth’s crust. The electrolyte, the liquid that facilitates ion transfer between the electrodes, has also seen improvements, led by Empa researchers.

Kühnel, an Empa researcher, explained, “Conventional electrolytes are flammable. We significantly reduced flammability by incorporating specific additives without compromising conductivity, which is crucial for fast charging and discharging.” Additionally, Coventry University and FPT Motorenforschung AG developed a sophisticated temperature management system for the pilot module. Embedded sensors monitor the battery’s internal temperature in real-time, while a specially designed algorithm regulates the charging speed to prevent overheating and potential damage.

Battaglia and Kühnel regard the scalability and direct transition to industry as the project’s most significant achievements. The industrial partners have already registered multiple patents for the innovations stemming from SeNSE, constructed pilot plants, secured financing, and applied their newfound knowledge to other battery technologies. The chemical company Huntsman has launched the conductive additive used in SeNSE electrodes to the market, making it available to battery manufacturers.

The Next Step

However, the journey to success was not without challenges. The project faced significant organizational hurdles due to the pandemic, along with unstable supply chains and rising raw material and energy prices, as well as technical difficulties. For instance, the prototype cells have not yet reached the desired stability levels. Although scaling has been successful, it remains incomplete. Battaglia stated, “We have scaled up all new developments from laboratory to pilot scale. For production in a gigafactory, such as project partner Northvolt’s, which produces multiple gigawatt-hours of batteries per year, the entire material production process would need to be scaled up once more—potentially by a factor of 1000.” This will require a strong commitment from the industry.

Meanwhile, Empa researchers are already focusing on the next European battery project. SeNSE had three sister projects funded during the same proposal call. Kühnel noted, “We have established a collaborative cluster for battery research, facilitating regular exchanges of ideas and results. The coordinators of the four projects have now launched a joint Horizon Europe research initiative called IntelLiGent, aimed at developing cobalt-free high-voltage cells for electric vehicles.”

SeNSE Overview

The Horizon 2020 project SeNSE aimed to advance the next generation of lithium-ion batteries and bolster the European battery industry. This four-year initiative was spearheaded by Empa and supported by the EU with €10 million. Academic collaborators included the University of Münster, the Helmholtz Institute Münster, Coventry University in the UK, the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, and the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW). Industrial partners comprised the Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt, the Swiss innovation center of FPT Industrial (FPT Motorenforschung AG), French startups Solvionic and Enwires, and the chemical company Huntsman, which has a research facility in Basel.