Italian battery firm Italvolt has become a member of EUROBAT, the association of European automotive and industrial battery manufacturers.
Italvolt is building a 45GWh lithium-ion gigafactories in the heart of Europe’s Motor Valley in Scarmagno, Italy.
The new factory is scheduled to start production in 2024.
Founder and CEO of Italvolt, Lars Carlstrom, said joining EUROBAT was an important new step in the development of his firm’s project, that represented Italy entering a new era where green industrialisation would support the country’s economic growth, improving further its visibility in the international arena.
EUROBAT executive-director, Rene Schroeder, said: “This is a very positive sign for the transformation of our industrial landscape and will be another contribution to the decarbonisation of our energy and mobility systems.
“It shows how high automotive and industrial batteries are on today’s agenda. That goes for policy-makers, media and the public at large, but also for European companies, who want to make sure their voice is heard in the policy-making process.”
In September, China lithium-ion battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL) joined Eurobat to “bring more exposure to conversations with the local automotive ecosystem and regulatory bodies, facilitate CATL to better integrate with local automotive industry and introduce more advanced solutions and services in the region”.
Signing MoUs
In April, Italvolt signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop a commercial recycling plant with American Manganese alongside the planned gigafactory in Italy.
The firms will work collaboratively to recycle waste lithium-ion battery cathode material using the US company’s patented RecycLiCo™ process.
The recycling process recovers cathode metals, such as: lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and aluminium.