E-Mobility E-Mobility Enabling Cost-Effective Battery Production in Europe

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In the EU-funded Green Speed research project, the project members have developed a new concept for the production of electrodes for battery cells. The combination of dry coating of the cathode, silicon-based anodes and AI-controlled digital twin simulations should make battery production more sustainable and cost-effective in future.

The rapid growth of electric mobility in Europe is increasingly being held back by environmental, cost and supply chain issues related to the production of lithium-ion batteries. Although lithium-ion technology powers battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and supports the transition to sustainable mobility, conventional electrode manufacturing remains energy-intensive and heavily dependent on organic solvents and energy-intensive drying. Launched in July 2022 as part of the EU's Horizon Europe program, the Green Speed project brought together eleven partners from five countries—including industrial companies, SMEs and research institutions—to redefine battery manufacturing in Europe. Under the coordination of Virtual Vehicle Research GmbH, the project participants have developed a battery cell whose electrodes are manufactured in an innovative production process that reduces energy consumption, cuts CO2 emissions and completely eliminates volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions during production.

Sustainable Electrode Production

Dry cathode coating: Green Speed has developed a roll-to-roll cathode coating for a nickel-rich NMC composite cathode. This completely eliminates the usual steps of casting solvents and energy-intensive drying, condensing and transportation in conventional production. Silicon-based anode technology: A high-capacity layer of pure silicon was produced for the anode using a microwave-assisted, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition process (MW-PECVD). In this process, porous silicon is deposited directly onto copper current collectors using locally generated silane gas (SiH₄). This approach avoids conventional binders and conductive additives. The combination of this development enables a cell design that increases energy density by 69% while reducing energy consumption by 32% and reducing production costs by 21% compared to standard lithium-ion cells.

Simulation Reduces Experimental Iterations

From the outset, the project used modelling and simulation techniques—including digital twins, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning—to predict and optimize cell performance and control manufacturing parameters. This minimized experimental iterations and accelerated process optimization. Specifically, the work packages dealt with the material behavior under mechanical stress (e.g. deformation of the current collector), the mesomechanical modeling of functional battery cells and the AI-supported modeling of equivalent circuits.

Green Speed defined the requirements for automotive cells at an early stage, including validation and test protocols for performance, safety, cycle stability and service life. First generation cells were designed: Lab-scale stacked pouch cells and cells with standard electrolytes enabled testing of cathode and anode configurations. The pure silicon anode concept was successfully demonstrated at laboratory cell level and showed promising results (albeit with limited lifetime)—highlighting both the potential and the challenges for further optimization. On the cathode side, the binder type, film surface treatment, adhesion and film uniformity were optimized; extrusion and roll-to-roll transfer processes were refined, adhesion to the carrier films improved and double-sided coating became technically feasible. The results not only benefit battery manufacturers and car manufacturers, but also support Europe's energy and climate goals by enabling more environmentally friendly mobility and reducing CO₂ emissions over the entire life cycle of the batteries.

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