Discussion on Upscaling Innovation in the European battery value chain

22 April 2024

On 18 April 2024, BEPA hosted the first webinar of the Innovation Uptake Event Series, titled “Upscaling Innovation in the European battery value chain”, with more than 150 participants. Distinguished speakers provided their expert opinion on the biggest challenges faced by both established companies, researchers and startups alike, and how the battery ecosystem can improve through collaboration and risk mitigation. 

Florian Degen from Fraunhofer Research Institution for Battery Cell Production presented battery cell production in Europe, and the main challenges that producers and researchers face when trying to upscale battery cell technologies within said value chain, specifically tied to the production line. He pointed to the importance of possible defects with high damage potential, high scrap rates and other challenges faced.  

During the panel discussion that followed, Florian Degen, Kurt Vandeputte from BMW Group, and Sebastien Moitzheim from Powall shared their expert opinions on the state of the battery value chain, and what can be done to improve upscaling of new technologies. BEPA’s policy officer Bozorg Khanbaei, was there to moderate the discussion, asking all the challenging questions. 

All speakers highlighted transparency and adequate information on the priorities and bottlenecks of production, as well as accurate predictions of the state of the industry in the coming years. This will help innovators to better assess their technology in regards to different stages of production and help them tailor it accordingly. As the industry in Europe matures, sharing information and creating roadmaps and other publicly available documents that will help researchers know how to target their innovation towards industries. Performing adequate testing for their desired applications before pitching their technology, but also knowing the time it takes to integrate new technologies in production lines.   

Determination in policy and business as well as collaboration between these stakeholders are key factors, to help the European battery sector develop. Understanding the importance of planning for the long-term to support innovation and research in Europe will create certainty within the ecosystem and shift the players’ mentality. Finally, the importance of making public procurement and funding procedures simpler and faster, will ensure that funding is invested to address the challenges as they occur, throughout the value chain and finally cut overall industry costs like raw materials, equipment etc.  

Through the initiative of the Innovation Uptake Event Series, BEPA aims to facilitate sharing best practises within the battery R&I community, to help create a strong business case out of innovative technologies. Aimed both at startups and researchers, this series will feature training workshops, webinars as well as brokerage events and pitching sessions, to better plan their technologies to be implemented in large-scale production. Through first identifying the challenges of the European battery value chain, and then providing extensive training to overcome them! 

Don’t miss our upcoming workshop targeted specifically at start-ups, on Monday 6 May 2024, when you will be able to receive pitch training, to better showcase your ideas to industry players and businesses! 

Register HERE