E-Mobility Engineering 014 l InoBat Auto dossier l In Conversation: Brandon Fisher l Battery monitoring focus l Supercapacitor applications insight l Green-G ecarry digest l Lithium-sulphur batteries insight l Cell-to-pack batteries focus

everything from the mine to the battery’s second life and ultimate recovery of materials,” MacAndrew says. Traceability will be key to providing good quality cells for second-life applications such as storage for renewable energy sources, as well as being essential for aviation applications, he says. Schemes such as battery passports and technologies that link BMSs to the cloud will be integral to the process. “The health and usage of these cells are going to be measurable and reportable during manufacture and operation,” he says. “We are looking at a data system that allows us to keep track of how our cells are being used.” He emphasises that the end of a cell’s life is not the end of the electrochemical life of its active materials. “We are studying how we can recover 90-95% of those materials for reprocessing into virgin material for new batteries,” he says. A company in the InoBat Auto group is planning to build a recycling facility within 1 km of the factory complex, according to Krokos. “The first process will shred batteries down to black mass, then hydrometallurgy will refine the active materials from the black mass,” he says. “We are already applying for permits, and plan to develop the project in the next 2 years. It won’t be entirely dedicated to Volta 1 and Volta 2, as we will need to collect batteries from elsewhere to ‘feed the beast’.” “For each stage that we are assessing we have a set of steps to follow. We can show that material recovered from a used battery has been through cell analysis and development, and we can demonstrate good performance in cells based on recycled material,” says MacAndrew. “We are also looking at using materials that are complementary to recycling, and avoiding materials in cells that will contaminate those we want to reuse.” Short supply lines also reduce an industry’s carbon footprint, and in line with developing European policy, InoBat Auto is working to ensure it can deliver a percentage of each of its cells with both local and recycled content. “We are seeing a lot of interest and government support, not only for gigafactories but also for the manufacture of cell materials in the region,” MacAndrew says. “Security and sustainability of supply go hand in hand with local manufacture.” “Our r&d labs are next door to Volta 1, so the engineers are right beside the production line,” Wight adds. “The small-scale line allows us to prototype cells so that we can iron out any problems before we take them into the gigafactories, which will help make the process more time-efficient.” InoBat Auto chose to go with a single supplier of a turnkey solution for Volta 1 as a risk reduction measure, he says; one of the risks it eliminates is mixing pieces of equipment from different suppliers. “That ensures control of and clear responsibility for everything that goes through that line.” Standards InoBat Auto intends its cells to meet both aviation and automotive standards, so quality control will have to be very tight. Krokos notes that the company has already received ISO 9001 certification for its management and processes, and is working on the segment of the standard that covers manufacturing operations. It anticipates receiving the ticket when the facility is commissioned. MacAndrew says ISO 9001 is the broad engineering standard for manufacturing and control, and adds that InoBat Auto is applying the EN 9100 aviation standard as well. “EN 9100 takes the objectives of ISO 9001 and adds to them to satisfy aviation requirements in the same way that IATF 16949 does for automotive, and we are also working towards that standard.” Sustainable future InoBat Auto is also determined to minimise the environmental impact of its entire operation, so Krokos says the company has contracted for green electricity supplies. Slovakia has a mix of hydroelectric and nuclear plants, and the Volta 2 gigafactory will have solar panels over its entire roof, and all the plants will recycle their process water. “We are considering the circular economy from the start, looking at Labs for r&d are a key element of Volta 1, the glove boxes enabling the handling of sensitive materials safely in a way that minimises the risk of contamination 30 Summer 2022 | E-Mobility Engineering Dossier | InoBat Auto