About the project

The goal is to fulfil Europe’s need for a safe, high-energy, sustainable and marketable battery for green mobility that could be manufactured in Europe on a massive scale. To do so, the new ASTRABAT cells will enable:

ASTRABAT is part of a broader drive by the European Union to make electric mobility become the next transport mode and contribute to the EU overall goal to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80-95% by 2050 (currently, the transport sector is responsible for around one quarter of Europe’s GHG emissions). It is expected that e-mobility will represent 70% of the total rechargeable Li-ion battery cell market’s value in 2022 and that 70% of the EU electricity should be produced by renewable energies. Hence, the electric battery storage is vital in this transition to clean mobility and clean energy systems.

This video presents how ASTRABAT is innovating in solid-state lithium-ion batteries using the latest generation of materials.

Li-ion batteries for electric vehicles suffer from several issues:

• Insufficient energy density to comply with expected electric vehicle autonomy of 500 km;
• Hazardous in safety due to strong battery thermal run away;
• Unsatisfactory power density to meet fast charge requirement;
• Lack of battery Giga-factories in Europe.

To overcome these issues, ASTRABAT will:

1. Develop materials for a solid hybrid electrolyte and electrodes enabling high energy, high voltage and reliable all-solid-state Li-ion cells;
2. Adapt the development of new all-solid-state batteries to a conventional process adopted for manufacturing electrodes in Li-ion cells;
3. Design an all-solid-state-battery architecture for the next generation of 2030 Li-ion batteries;
4. Define an efficient cell architecture to comply with improved safety demands;
5. Generate a new value chain of all-solid-state batteries, including eco-design, end of life and recycling.

How will ASTRABAT go beyond the state of art of solid-state electrolytes?

ASTRABAT hybrid electrolyte will be based on polymers (ORMOCER® and fluorocarbon polymers) and an inorganic filler and membrane (LLZO). These materials will tackle the generation 4a of cells using high voltage cathode materials, based on Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (NMC) such as NMC622 and NMC811, and Si-based anode. All developed cells will be assessed following standard safety protocols and safety certifications will be performed.

For the ceramic LLZO material, an ionic conductivity of 0.4 mS/cm in the range temperature of 10°C – 50°C will be achieved via Al-doping or Ta-doping. This should enable a decrease of the cell operating temperature and render a more efficient electric vehicle. Moreover, an optimised ionic transport will be achieved by tailoring electrode-electrolyte percolation networks to reduce the ionic pathway length. This will be done by optimising the electrode formulation and by developing new processes to generate organised electrolyte structures.

The improved impedance of the electrode-electrolyte interface will be achieved by developing an inorganic coating on NMC material, organic coating on LLZO and carbon coating on silicon. Different particle sizes of active electrode materials will be synthesised and will contribute to a better harmonisation of the material.

Short cycle life will be avoided thanks to material coatings on NMC that will reduce the capacity fading generated by interfacial reactivity of electrode material with the electrolyte. At the anode side, the Si particle size and carbon coating are also a source of improvement of electrode stability and reduction of irreversibility by solid electrolyte interface formation.

Check out this table to discover the expected KPIs of the ASTRABAT cell!

International agreements towards less air pollution and CO2 production, such as the Paris Agreement (COP21), and the European Union 2020 and 2050 targets, are pushing towards a rapid implementation of electrification of transport. Electric batteries are currently seen as key technological enablers to allow a rapid growth of the sales and deployment of battery electric vehicles. A battery technology with higher driving range, lower charging time, increased safety, increased sustainability and low-cost manufacturing will accelerate the market introduction of electric vehicles in the world. This understanding is framed by initiatives such as Batteries Europe, the European Battery Alliance, Battery 2030+, and, on a global level, the World Economic Forum’s Global Battery Alliance.

Considering the global competition, the European Union is focusing substantial research efforts to create an improved European battery technology. Under the EU Research and Innovation programme Horizon 2020, numerous calls for proposals focus on different aspects of battery research. One of these is the LC-BAT-1-2019 call, which addresses the global interest on solid state batteries as an alternative to ensure higher performance, but also inherently safe batteries.

In addition to ASTRABAT, three projects have been funded by the European Union to work under the LC-BAT-1-2019 call. Read their description below and follow our updates on social media with the hashtag #LCBAT12019. Moreover, ASTRABAT is also collaborating with COBRA, funded under the LC-BAT-5-2019 call.

Discover and download the ASTRABAT graphic materials.