Bosch pilot production streamlines li-ion batt

Robert Bosch GmbH has announced that it is building a pilot production for lithium-ion cells to study materials and industrial processes for next-generation lithium-ion cells. The pilot line will be installed in Eisenach, Germany. The first samples of the line will be for trial purposes and is set to be released in 2012 and will then be extended until the line reaches an annual production volume of more than 200,000 cells by 2015. The next series production will be geared toward marine applications.

BASF will join Bosch in the project, providing the production with materials, while ThyssenKrupp System Engineering will give its expertise as a specialist for process plant engineering. The project aims to drive forward the development of a European supplier network for materials and production machinery.

Bosch said it plans to gradually increase the size of the project team to roughly 80 associates. They will work to develop materials for anodes, cathodes and electrolytes, and also examine their interactions. The knowledge they gain will be directly applied into new manufacturing processes.

This focus on the application of the technology needed for the next cell generation to the non-automotive area is an effective complement to the activities that are pooled in Bosch's joint venture with Samsung SDI, SB LiMotive.