Battery Development

Chinese automotive supplier HASCO is acquiring a 49-percent stake in Shanghai SAIC QingTao Energy Technology from SAIC Motor for around 29 million US dollars.

German start-up company Minerva Carbon will receive federal funding of around 1.8 million euros to research mesoporous carbons for batteries.

Japanese car manufacturer Nissan and LiCAP from the United States will collaborate on the development of production technologies for dry electrodes used in solid-state batteries.

At TU Braunschweig, around 150 researchers will be working on recycling processes at the new Center for Circular Production of Next Batteries and Fuel Cells from 2027 onwards.

A research team at Helmholtz Center Berlin (HZB) has investigated lithium-sulfur pouch cells with reduced electrolyte content under realistic conditions for the first time.

According to the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC, the four-year EU project “HiQ-CARB” has made significant progress in developing sustainable, conductive additives for lithium-ion batteries. The project achieved this by combining carbon nanotubes and acetylene black from renewable sources, reducing the required amount of additives in the battery electrodes. According to the project partners, this positively affects material efficiency, performance, and production costs. The production processes for the materials have been scaled up to industrial quantities. ORION produced over 3,000 tons of acetylene black, and ARKEMA produced suitable quantities of thin-walled CNTs. A life cycle assessment conducted by the University of Bordeaux shows that this material has a carbon footprint of around 1.5 kg CO₂ equivalent per kilogram. According to the analysis, conventional carbon black has a carbon footprint ranging from 3.5 to 3.9 kg CO₂ equivalent. The new additives have been successfully integrated into CustomCells’ existing production lines. The project partners report stable coatings and improved conductivity without the need for significant production adjustments. Meanwhile, strategies for market launch and qualification of skilled workers were developed. Source:https://idw-online.de/de/news856308

QuantumScape has expanded its solid-state battery (SSB) commercialization partnership with Volkswagen subsidiary PowerCo, which plans to provide up to 131 million US dollars.

Chinese battery manufacturer SVOLT Energy plans to begin trial production of its first generation of semi-solid-state batteries with a 140-ampere-hour capacity in the fourth quarter of this year. This information comes from a report by the Chinese media platform Cailian. Production will reportedly take place on an existing production line intended for the later series production of these battery types. According to the report, the test series is intended primarily to prepare for the supply of future BMW mini models. Series production of these cells is planned for 2027. SVOLT states that the first generation will consist of softpack cells with an energy density of 300 watt-hours per kilogram. The manufacturer emphasizes the low cost of these cells. A second generation is currently in development and, according to the company, will achieve an energy density of 360 Wh/kg. SVOLT also says that it is working on all-solid-state battery cells, which are expected to achieve an energy density of 400 Wh/kg in their initial version. Source:https://cnevpost.com/2025/07/23/svolt-trial-production-semi-solid-state-batteries-q4/

Italian automation specialist Comau has commissioned a 500-square-meter drying room with dew point conditions of up to minus 50 degrees Celsius.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Electron Beam and Plasma Technology (FEP) in Dresden has developed a roll-to-roll process that coats both sides of polymer films with copper or aluminum.