Innovations in battery manufacturing and their drivers
By Dustin Bauer
The rapid adoption of electric vehicles is reinforcing massive growth in battery manufacturing . For example , global demand for Lithium-Ion Batteries ( LIBs ) is set to grow from 360 GWh in 2021 to 3100 GWh in 2030 , caused mostly by rising demand from the passenger and commercial vehicle sector .
OEMs in the automotive industry have demonstrated an increasing interest in vertical integration of the manufacture of not only battery packs and battery cells , but also battery materials . Recently , this has also extended to the equipment for battery cell and battery pack manufacture . This is in part caused by a lack of supply of manufacturing equipment . Increasing demand for LIBs and additional competition underlines the importance of protecting innovations in this field .
Various trends have persisted in battery manufacturing in recent years , particularly those seeking to make manufacturing more sustainable and more efficient . In electrode manufacturing , recovering solvents used for electrode coating may improve sustainability and also reduce costs . Dry coating of electrodes , on the other hand , seeks to eradicate the need for these solvents entirely . On the cell and battery pack side , recent developments include Tesla ’ s ‘ tabless ’ cells , manufacturing of mixed chemistry packs , and improved pouch cell degassing .
manufacturing-today . com 9