BERLIN — Volkswagen and a expertise associate have mastered a battery manufacturing course of known as dry coating which if scaled up might lower the price of cell manufacturing by tons of of thousands and thousands of euros a yr, its battery chief mentioned on Friday.
The carmaker, which is working with printing press producer Koenig & Bauer AG on the expertise, mentioned the 2 firms are the primary to good the process for each the optimistic and unfavorable electrode.
“Nobody else can do that in the present day,” battery chief Thomas Schmall mentioned at a media roundtable.
In conventional battery manufacturing, supplies for the cathode — or optimistic electrode — and anode — unfavorable electrode — are utilized to a provider foil by way of a chemical paste combination that should dry, requiring excessive quantities of vitality.
Dry-coating eliminates that step with an adhesive that doesn’t require drying, Schmall defined.
Tesla, which obtained the same course of by means of buying startup Maxwell Applied sciences in 2019, has thus far been in a position to dry-coat the anode, however continues to be having points with the cathode, sources informed Reuters in March.
Volkswagen mentioned it has produced a number of hundred cells with its technique on a pilot line and needs to be prepared for industrial manufacturing by 2027.
Along with scaled-up manufacturing and cheaper uncooked supplies, the carmaker hopes the process will assist convey down cell prices by round 50%, Schmall mentioned.
Its cell vegetation underneath building in Germany, Spain and Canada will nonetheless have drying traces however will be retrofitted to take away them at a later date, PowerCo Chief Working Officer Sebastian Wolf added, releasing up round 15% of manufacturing facility flooring house.