Joint EC/EPoSS/ERTRAC Expert Workshop 2010 discussed R&D needs and implementation paths for EV battery manufacturing in Europe
Press Release
On 30 November 2010 the European Commission jointly with the European Technology Platform on Smart Systems Integration (EPoSS) and the European Road Transport Advisory Council (ERTRAC) held an Expert Workshop on “Electric Vehicle Batteries Made in Europe”. More than 100 experts representing battery and cell manufacturers, vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, research organizations and public authorities attended the event.
The objective was to understand recent advances and future perspectives in materials developments, cell technologies, system integration, production and testing methods as well as life cycle assessments for electric vehicle batteries. A particular focus was on lighthouse projects that promote manufacturing of batteries in Europe and may be part of the future implementation of the Public-Private Partnership European Green Cars Initiative.
The opening session of the workshop was chaired by Prof. Maria da Graça Carvalho, Member of European Parliament, who in a keynote speech pointed out the expected impact of electric vehicles for competitiveness of the European industry. The other speakers covered the EC’s, the Member states and the industry’s perspectives on the topic. Dedicated sessions were held on the themes of Advances in Cell Technology and Integration, Manufacturing, Testing, and Life Cycle Assessment of Batteries, and Lighthouse Projects for EV Batteries Made in Europe.
The expert discussions particularly considered interdependencies of production costs, materials performance, cost and supply, energy consumption, robustness and safety as well as cycle and calendar lives. Clear recommendations were in terms of R&D needs in the following domains: Smart Packaging of Battery Cells, Reliability Testing of EV Batteries, Battery Assembly and Manufacturing Processes, Safety Training for Staff dealing with Batteries, as well as Rare Materials and Recycling Strategies. The results will contribute to a European roadmap showing research, development and implementation paths for electric vehicle batteries.
The event is part of a series of workshops jointly organized by the EC and the industry which cover both technical and political issues related to the topic of electric vehicles, e.g.: “Smart Systems for the Full Electric Vehicle” (2008), “Batteries and Storage Systems for the Fully Electric Vehicle” (2009) and “Thinking Ahead the European Green Cars Initiative” (2010). The workshop was organized by the first project of the European Green Cars Initiative, the Coordination Action “Information and Communication Technologies for the Full Electric Vehicle” (ICT4FEV).
All presentations held at the workshop will be made available at the website of the ICT4FEV project.
A full report will be published soon.