With a funding of 13.5 million euros from the Free State of Thuringia, the Battery Innovation and Technology Center (BITC) began its work on July 10th, 2020. The opening marks an important step in the expansion and networking of activities in the field of battery and energy storage technology in Thuringia. As a new site of the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS, the BITC is linked to one of the largest battery research institutes in Germany and has access to strong ties to the economy.
Green light for batteries: Thuringia's Minister of Economics Wolfgang Tiefensee (right) opens the Battery Innovation and Technology Center in Arnstadt in the presence of Fraunhofer President Prof. Reimund Neugebauer (left) and Fraunhofer IKTS Institute Director Prof. Alexander Michaelis (back). The Fraunhofer IKTS site researches new energy storage technologies.
Fraunhofer IKTS
Over the next five years, the state of Thuringia is supporting the development of the center into a European flagship for energy-efficient and resource-saving battery production. The State Development Corporation of Thuringia (LEG) has acquired the building complex with approximately 5000 m² of office and technical space for use by Fraunhofer IKTS. In view of the transformation process in the automotive and energy industries, the BITC will develop solutions for the integrated, digitally supported production and quality assurance of battery cells and modules. Ceramic materials, state-of-the-art sensor technology and non-destructive testing methods will be used. In the production of battery cells and battery modules, scaling, i.e. the production of components in quantities in excess of millions of units while maintaining consistently high quality, is a major challenge. Therefore, researchers at BITC will simulate technology chains on partial pilot lines approaching industrial scale and establish new, data-driven approaches for process monitoring and control.
Close ties to the economy
In researching modern mobility and energy storage technologies, which also go beyond Li-ion batteries, interdisciplinary approaches are being pursued at the new research location. "The great strength of the BITC lies in its development-oriented cooperation with Thuringian companies and research institutions. This allows us to pool our expertise directly at the battery cell production site," emphasizes BITC Director Dr. Roland Weidl. Collaboration is planned with the Technische Universität Ilmenau, the universities in Jena and Gera-Eisenach and with highly specialized SMEs in the region. In addition, the center will be involved in the training and further education of skilled workers from the region and will teach industry 4.0 concepts in battery production and other branches of industry.