Siemens is to partner Swedish lithium-ion start-up Northvolt in developing “next generation Green lithium-ion batteries”.
Siemens is investing EUR10 million ($11.6m) in the partnership— through which it will become the latest international firm to work with Northvolt— whose planned lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility is being financed by the European Investment Bank.
Once operations start at the facility in 2020— which Northvolt said will eventually produce “32GWh worth of battery capacity annually”— the manufacturer will become “a preferred supplier” to Siemens.
The companies are also “exploring potential areas for joint development programmes”, Siemens said.
Siemens’ digital factory division CEO Jan Mrosik said the German company’s digital systems technology will be deployed by Northvolt to “contribute to a competitive battery cell production in Europe that fully exploits the benefits of software and automation— greater flexibility, efficiency and quality with shorter time to market”.
Northvolt co-founder and CEO Peter Carlsson said: “The European industry is moving rapidly towards electrification. With its world-class expertise within electrification, automation and digitalisation, Siemens will become an important technology partner, supplier and customer to Northvolt in this coming transition. Once we begin large-scale production, our aim is to supply the greenest lithium-ion batteries in the world.”
BBB reported last month that the Marubeni Corporation had agreed to collaborate with Northvolt in a move that could see the Japanese conglomerate supply LIB manufacturing equipment and raw materials.
Sweden is seen as a bulwark state for the development of the European Batteries Alliance, through which the EU wants to push back on Asia’s dominance in the battery sector.
Northvolt said previously it was set to have a wide-ranging supply and technology relationship with power and automation technology group ABB. Northvolt also recently signed an agreement in principle for the supply of battery grade lithium hydroxide from Canada’s Nemaska Lithium.