Network of Li-ion cell pilot lines

Proposals should address all the following issues:

• Determine the competence profiles of EU Li-ion battery cell pilot lines regarding technologies, production scale, testing & validation, expertise and specialisation;
• Analyse skill and equipment gaps the pilot lines are suffering from in view of arising technology paradigms and worldwide competition;
• Outline a standardized data exchange platform to further the Li-ion cell production know-how in Europe;
• Develop models for the shared access to the pilot lines and for the collaboration of academia and industry including the access of observers as well as for solutions regarding IPR-management ensuring the ownership of IP within the collaboration;
• Develop a common type of contract for ensuring information security of the pilot lines beneficiaries;
• Identify opportunities for the network to exchange results and to work on energy- and resource efficient production processes;
• Following establishment of the above points, a round-robin of parameter measurements in European Li-ion cell pilot lines who allow external access to compare qualification method and match results and to analyse sensitivity of cell properties to production effects;
• Organize joint workshops and conferences within the network and create platforms for mutual learning and focussed training;
• Develop a roadmap of joint strategies for the network to scale up pilot processes from small batch testing towards processes of industrial dimension. This shall outline recommendations and harmonize actions regarding funding, accelerated technology transfer, IPR, roles and responsibilities as well as for business models;
• Carry out dissemination actions to build the network incorporating public and private stakeholders along the value chain and conceptualize formats to increase visibility of the network.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 1 to 2 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

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Awareness of the need for a competitive European knowledge base in Li-ion cell technology and manufacturing processes has led to the establishment of a multitude of non-industrial pilot lines all around the EU, recently. Many of these activities are focussed on highly specific systems or processes, and can each alone hardly keep up with the immense advancements of battery cell production, particularly in Asia. In order to maximize the benefits of the related investments, mutual exchange of data, expertise, and access rights between these pilot lines would be desirable. Therefore, a network of Li-ion pilot lines shall be built, which should include industrial stakeholders, thus establishing the competencies, value chains, and unique selling propositions of the arising European innovation and production ecosystem for li-ion cell technologies. It will be of particular relevance to jointly develop strategies for scaling up the impact of the network and to support the market access of European cell production companies in view of international competition and standardization. Availability of industrial scale or pilot scale production lines can be challenging within Europe. Li-ion battery is an emerging technology established on know-how of the specific companies. There will be difficulties to having a common approach on pilot production facilities due to information security reasons.

The established network of Li-ion cell pilot lines should lead to:

• Further the production of Li-ion cells towards industrial scale in Europe
• Better utilize synergies of mutual collaboration of pilot lines
• Increase the basis of trained Li-ion battery cell experts in Europe
• Ensure fair competition, open source and access within the network and stakeholders
• Establish a Unique selling proposition (USP) for efficiency in Li-ion cell production
• Create visibility of the network
• Accelerate the advancement of innovation in the field.