The Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM) at RWTH Aachen University has completed a study on the future production of solid-state batteries in Europe together with partners. Among other things, the experts analyze the global activities in this area and work out the unique selling points of domestic production.
The document now presented is a consortium study prepared by the PEM together with numerous industrial partners. In it, the authors outline the key challenges involved in establishing a solid-state battery industry. However, the study also highlights the strengths of potential domestic production and sheds light on what a European alternative to the China All-Solid-State Battery Collaborative Innovation Platform (CASIP) could look like. The PEM explicitly mentions this reference to CASIP in its communication; the alliance is an alliance of major Chinese battery and car manufacturers forged in 2024 to jointly drive forward the commercialisation of solid-state batteries. The alliance was initiated by the Chinese government.
“After years of basic research on the most powerful solid-state electrolytes, the most important material questions have been largely clarified,” says PEM Director Professor Achim Kampker: “The focus is now on the need for innovative manufacturing processes and their scalability, because up to 60 percent of the current production layout for lithium-ion batteries may have to be significantly changed.”
According to the consortium study, partnerships for the commercialisation of solid-state batteries are currently emerging worldwide, each pursuing their own approaches. While the focus in Europe and the USA is mainly on polymer and hybrid electrolyte systems, research into sulphide-based systems is increasingly being conducted in Asia, particularly in China. According to Kamper, solid-state batteries could already account for a significant share of the global battery market by 2035, with a potential total output of up to 1,200 gigawatt-hours. “The sales potential is then expected to be around 550 billion euros, so even a small share of that is very attractive.” However, manufacturers will need innovative and scalable system technology for this.
The study also reveals other challenges in the production chain. According to the initiators, new processing methods are needed to produce thin and dense layers for solid-state electrolytes and lithium metal. The extent to which dry coating approaches from the current production of lithium-ion batteries can also be transferred to the production of solid-state electrolytes needs to be examined. According to the PEM experts, heat treatment steps must also be optimised, especially for ceramic-based solid-state electrolytes, and electrode stacks must be designed with low-resistance interfaces for optimal ion conduction of the solids. According to the study, customised production processes are also required for new hybrid cell formats that combine pouch and prismatic designs.
The PEM concludes that producers in Europe are under pressure to innovate in order to secure a share of the future market.