The objective of SOLIDBAT, funded by the European Union through its Horizon Europe program, is to develop a disruptive technology in the field of solid-state batteries to facilitate the large-scale production of these devices and thus meet the stringent demands of the automotive sector. To this end, the focus of the SOLIDBAT project will be on high energy density solid-state batteries (400 Wh/kg, 1000 Wh/L), as they enable long life and increased safety, and are therefore ideally suited to meet the needs of the automotive industry.
The development of the project involves innovation in five main areas: new digital tools and models for materials development and cell parameter design; an active nickel-manganese-cobalt nickel-rich, high-capacity, water-processable nickel-manganese-cobalt cathode material; a 3D textured high-energy lithium metal anode coated with an artificial protective solid-electrolyte interface; a highly conductive and electrochemically stable hybrid gel polymer electrolyte; and scalable solutions for manufacturing solid-state battery technology that easily adapt to current lithium-ion technology. One of the focuses of the development of this disruptive technology is to minimize the impact on the environment by reducing the use of critical raw materials, reducing the use of toxic PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), and developing more sustainable production processes. In this way, SOLIDBAT will contribute to the transition to climate-neutral energy and transportation, and will avoid dependence on battery production in Asian countries.
SOLIDBAT continues the work carried out over the past four years in the SAFELiMOVE project, which was committed to the development of a new generation of batteries for electric vehicles - based on a solid-state electrolyte - capable of producing a safer, more reliable and high-performance lithium battery. The work carried out at SAFELiMOVE was decisive in successfully advancing in three key areas: the development of advanced materials; the analysis and optimization of interfaces; and the scalability of solid-state technology to several prototypes.
The Institute for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (IWF) is responsible for evaluating the recyclability of the materials used and drawing up a recycling plan for the SOLIDBAT technology developed in two work packages.
The SOLIDBAT consortium includes 13 recognized European and one Canadian entity, covering the entire battery value chain and fostering European innovation and industry growth. Under the leadership and coordination of CIC energiGUNE, the other SOLIDBAT partners are: Inobat Auto JSA (Slovakia), SCHOTT AG (Germany), Hydro-Quebec (Canada), Specific Polymers SAS (France), Ampere SAS (France), Toyota Motor Europe (Belgium), Life Cycle Engineering SpA (Italy), Eurida (Austria), Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique et Aux Energies (France), Fundación CIDETEC (Spain), RWTH Aachen University (Germany), Technische Universität Braunschweig (Germany), and Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC (Germany).
CIC energiGUNE (Spain) (Lead)