Ten partners from industry and research organizations now join forces in the EU funded project ECO COM'BAT („Ecological Composites for High-Efficient Li-Ion Batteries“), coordinated by the Fraunhofer Project Group Materials Recycling and Resource Strategies, part of the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC, to develop the next generation of lithium-ion batteries – the high-voltage battery.

The goal of ECO COM'BAT is to extend the range of electric vehicles, to shorten charging times, to reduce battery weight, to enhance stability and durability, and above all, to substitute critical or precious raw materials commonly used in conventional lithium-ion batteries with innovative materials.

The first task for the ECO COM'BAT team will be the upscaling of the processes required for the large-scale production of the new battery materials. The next step will then be the upscaling of the actual cell production to close-to-industry pilot scale and then to production scale. The challenge is to meet automotive standard requirements with energy and cost efficient production methods.

To prevent problematic waste and also to recover precious materials like graphite, cobalt and lithium, the partners develope new efficient recycling strategies. This begins with a design for recycling that allows to recover the contained materials to the best possible extent. To this effect, the researchers will also test innovative recycling processes.