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Batteries Platform

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Published on 27 May 2024

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Energy-storage technologies will support the emergence of new energy paradigms that include carbon-free mobility.​

Batteries Platform​

On the supply side, intermittent renewable energy is gaining traction, and the need for energy storage is growing, especially for clean vehicles.

The Battery Platform develops lithium-ion and post Li-ion batteries, as well as alternative technologies addressing battery materials, electrodes, electrolytes, accumulators, packs, integration, and electrical testing.

With expertise spanning electrode and electrolyte material synthesis, component selection, and fabrication and integration processes, the Battery Platform can design current and future-generation battery accumulators and systems. The R&D projects that take place at the Battery Platform mainly focus on vehicle batteries. However, the platform also addresses stationary, space, medical, and military battery use cases.

CEA-Liten is a responsible R&D organization with a mission of developing solutions to the grand challenges faced by our climate and society.

In 2019 the battery abuse testing unit was created to support our capacity for innovation, making safety a key pillar. In 2021, CEA-Liten created a high-throughput screening and deposition unit at the CEA regional center near Bordeaux. CEA-Liten's efforts to develop more compact, efficient, safer battery cells also include designing toxic-solvent-free solid-state batteries.

The Battery Platform is also home to pilot manufacturing equipment that partner companies can use, making it unique in Europe's battery industry.

Finally, the Battery Platform is organized to keep up with growing demand for R&D, and has access to a wide range of physicochemical characterization and multi-scale modeling tools. The Battery Platform's activities are orchestrated around four units:


​KEY FIGURES

​40 million in investment​


3,000 sq. m​ including
 ​1,000 sq. m​ of anhydrous chambers

Grenoble & ​ Chambéry​​






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The materials unit scales up materials synthesis processes and can:​


  • Identify precursors likely to deliver the right balance between performance and environmental impacts,
  • Synthesize new organic and inorganic material formulations,
  • Synthesize recycled electrode materials from spent batteries,
  • Improve and optimize current formulations by addressing processes or by using alternative materials or coatings,
  • Reduce or eliminate cobalt and other rare earth metals from batteries to lower environmental impacts,
  • Scale lab synthesis processes up to pilot scale to test the processes and keep the electrode and accumulator pipeline feed with technologies that can be used to manufacture small runs of pilot prototypes.​
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The electrode and accumulator unit, for electrode, Li-ion, and post-Li-ion cells: ​

  • Manufacture small- to medium-sized runs of pilot prototypes using a 1,000 sq. m anhydrous room and equipment at several scales,
  • Produce Li-ion and post-Li-ion inks, electrodes, and batteries, using conventional solvent-based processes or dry processes like extrusion and lamination,
  • Process (lamination, hot isostatic pressing) electrode and electrolyte components,
  • Carry out electric accumulator forming.​

​​The pack and module assembly and disassembly unit:​

  • Design and size battery systems to our partners' specifications addressing mechanical, electrical, and thermal issues,
  • Develop, reliability-test, use, and maintain assembly and disassembly tools,
  • Assemble and disassemble battery packs,
  • Develop and integrate battery management systems (BMS),
  • Program and communicate with the battery through the BMS to test it in representative conditions.​

The testing and qualification unit:​

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  • Test batteries in normal, degraded, and abusive conditions,
  • Instrument batteries to acquire physical data during electrical testing,
  • Control abuse tests,
  • Ensure the conformity of tests and results (no certification).​
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