Battery Manufacturing Day 2025 "We Must Believe in the European Battery Industry"

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How can battery production in Europe be operated economically despite Chinese dominance? This was discussed by the participants of Battery Manufacturing Day 2025 in Karlsruhe, Germany.

The joint conference of "Automobil Industrie" and "MM Maschinenmarkt" once again attracted around 120 participants to Karlsruhe this year. They exchanged ideas over two days about the key trends in battery production.

Electric vehicles built in Europe are almost always equipped with cells from China, and partly from South Korea. By 2030, the EU aims to be 90 percent self-sufficient. However, this is unlikely to succeed, said Tim Wicke. As the research associate at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI explained, only about one-third (642 GWh) of the cell factories announced for 2030 are "very likely" to be realized. This would cover at least 50 to 60 percent of Europe's demand.

LFP Cells from Norway

The Norwegian company Morrow Batteries has just built a cell factory. The plant in southern Norway's Arendal can produce lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells with a capacity of one gigawatt-hour per year — primarily for stationary energy storage, and partly for commercial vehicles. Christin-Marie Boudgoust from Morrow Batteries reported on the challenges faced even when constructing such a relatively small factory. The production is only partially European. The production lines come from South Korea, and the cathode materials from China. Boudgoust appealed: "We must believe in the European battery industry, stay committed, improve access to financing, and receive more support from governments for a European battery supply chain."

Sascha Kleinert presented a battery plant that has been successfully operating for many years. He is the CEO of the Mercedes-Benz subsidiary Accumotive, which has been assembling batteries in Kamenz since 2012, including the new fifth battery generation, used in the Mercedes CLA. With these batteries, for example, performance density has been increased by replacing screws with adhesive bonds. The adhesive is applied with a precision of tenths of a millimeter and very precisely dosed. This was only achievable with an automated solution. Where employees are involved manually, great attention is paid to ergonomics and safety. A special feature: every battery is tested for leakage using a helium-based process.

Close Collaboration is Crucial

For the successful establishment of battery production, close collaboration between the equipment supplier and the customer, starting as early as the design phase, is crucial. This was emphasized by Jens Kiefer, Director Lead Plant Schaeffler Special Machinery Erlangen. He worked with the supplier Webasto to transform its site in Schierling from a roof module plant into a battery module assembly facility. For Kiefer, it is also clear: "The prices from Asia are extremely challenging. It is important to develop machine and equipment concepts together with customers that stand out from the market."

The conference participants also gained insight into the development of advanced production technologies during their visit to the Karlsruhe Research Factory for AI-Integrated Production. The facility is operated by the Fraunhofer Institutes IOSB and ICT, as well as the wbk Institute of Production Science at KIT, and also focuses on battery production.

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In addition to purely battery operation, the fuel cell is considered a CO₂-free alternative, especially for heavy long-distance vehicles. Stefan Dwenger from EPKO presented to the conference participants how complex the manufacturing of the bipolar plates contained within them is. The joint venture between ElringKlinger and OP Mobility (formerly Plastic Omnium) produces fuel cell stacks and their components, such as the bipolar plates. These plates, made from extremely thin steel or titanium sheets, must distribute the reaction gases very homogeneously and dissipate the reaction heat. For this, ultra-fine structures must be incorporated with the utmost precision. To ensure this, complex multi-stage forming processes and adherence to very tight tolerances are required.

The Framework Conditions Have Changed

"The challenges are the same as four years ago, but the framework conditions have changed. Therefore, we need to find different answers," stated Robert Braun, head of the Competence Center for Emission-Free Mobility at Daimler Truck. He noted that diesel is gaining importance again in the USA, while battery and fuel cell trucks face particular difficulties there. This makes flexible and highly scalable production systems for decarbonized drivetrains essential. In light of uncertainties and the significantly higher value creation share in CO₂-free drivetrains, vertical integration is more important than ever.

Simulation can save a lot of time and improve results in battery and battery cell development. However, simulation tools are often so complex that only a few experts can use them. The simulation specialists at Comsol Multiphysics aim to change that. With a tool they developed, presented by Johannes Sperber, simulation experts at OEMs or suppliers can create relatively easy-to-use simulation apps tailored to specific purposes from complex simulation programs, which they can then provide to development engineers.

E-Mobility Only Works With Special Fluids

An electric drivetrain requires hardly any lubricants compared to a combustion engine, but e-mobility only functions with special fluids, as Damian Weinzierl and Jan Mair from the lubricant manufacturer Fuchs explained. In vehicle operation, these are primarily coolants. They are crucial in the drivetrain as well as in charging technology to quickly dissipate large amounts of heat, thereby increasing efficiency or allowing components to be designed smaller.

Everyone wants to reduce costs and reach the market faster. Achim Geese from the switch cabinet specialist Rittal and Sven Haumann from Eplan highlighted the immense potential in the seamless digitization of the entire value chain. The key lies in data continuity, enabling all participants to use and share the same data. In such a connected ecosystem, projects can be accelerated by up to 80 percent, they emphasized.

AI Models Lack Expertise

Artificial intelligence seems to be everywhere. However, because most generic language models lack expertise, almost all pilot projects in the industry fail, reported Andreas Geiss. He is responsible for the automotive industry at the AI company Aleph Alpha. If language models are not trained with the necessary domain-specific knowledge, they at best provide superficial answers, said Geiss. Together with OEMs, they have demonstrated that AI can also be trained with domain knowledge, enabling the AI to subsequently detect errors in the development process or suggest solutions to developers.

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Nicolas Bogdanski addressed a sensitive topic. The expert from TÜV Rheinland presented the current status of the EU Battery Regulation. While a manufacturer can stand out from competitors with the extensive data covered by it, such as a small CO₂ footprint or high recycled content, the regulation, with its stringent requirements for documentation of the entire supply chain and data provision, is also "another hurdle for manufacturers," explained Bogdanski.

Moreover, according to the TÜV expert, the EU has established a timeline that it does not adhere to itself. As a result, some regulations that should already be in effect are still pending. Furthermore, it remains unclear if and how they will become valid.

So what to do? In any case, it would likely be a good idea to collect and document as much data as possible in one's own production and supply chain to be prepared for everything.