lithium-ion batteries

Germany is dipping into an economic aid fund to support the construction of a battery cells factory in the country by Chinese lithium giant Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), BEST Battery Briefing can reveal.

CATL confirmed last week it would invest €240 million (US$280m) to build the electric vehicle (EV) battery plant at Erfurt, in the east-central state of Thüringen.

Norwegian energy firm Equinor and Abu-Dhabi-based Masdar have unveiled a Younicos battery system in Scotland as the “world’s first” to be connected to an offshore floating wind farm.

The one-megawatt system, comprising two Younicos lithium-ion Y Cubes in modular battery containers, have been installed at the Hywind onshore substation in Peterhead.

German Battery separator company Treofan is developing a “thermally stable separator film” for lithium-ion battery cells as part of a government-funded research project.

Treofan said it aims to develop a temperature-stable lithium-ion battery for all mobile and stationary applications through its work with partners in the EUR2 million ($2.3m) HiT-Cell (High-Temperature Cell) project.

There is a “profitable business case” for developing a lithium project in Finland to supply high-quality battery materials for Europe’s “fast-developing lithium markets”, according to the firm behind the project.

Finnish mining company Keliber Oy said a definitive feasibility study indicates the project could make the firm Europe’s “first vertically integrated battery grade lithium carbonate producer”.