The European DEFACTO project, coordinated by CIDETEC Energy Storage, will commence on 14 January in San Sebastian with a kick-off meeting attended by all the members involved and a visit to CIDETEC's premises.
DEFACTO is a project funded by the European Commission's Horizon 2020 programme, that seeks to revolutionise the way in which the electric vehicle battery cell manufacturing industry has worked up to now. Companies today incur significant laboratory and staff costs to improve their cell design and the manufacturing process. To this end, DEFACTO will apply a multidisciplinary method that combines laboratory work, prototyping and multiphysical multiscale models. This will allow, on the one hand, an acceleration in the research and innovation processes for the development of cells, optimising their design and functionality and, on the other hand, a significant increase in the competitiveness of the European industry.
The future large-scale increase in the use of electric vehicles, motivated by a drastic reduction in costs and an increase in their capabilities, will generate a significant increase in the demand for batteries. The basic components of batteries, electrochemical cells, represent an important market for European industry, estimated at 250 billion euros by 2025. At the moment, Asia is in the lead: China, Korea and Japan have the largest manufacturing capacity in the world. Meanwhile, Europe, which also wants to become a leading player in the industry, has made innovation the focus of its industrial strategy to strengthen and expand its cell manufacturing capacity. Also, the European continent offers attractions such as the proximity to vehicle assembly plants and the existence of a mature logistics chain in the automotive sector. To encourage innovation in this industrial ecosystem, the European Commission funds numerous research projects, including DEFACTO.
In addition to improving the global positioning of the European electric mobility industry, DEFACTO seeks to promote and accelerate the decarbonisation of transport, as this industry is still 96% dependent on fossil fuels. This is in line with the European Union's aim to achieve a smarter and greener transport system that meets society's growing mobility needs, while reducing carbon emissions and increasing energy efficiency.
The DEFACTO initiative is funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, which has a total budget of 5,988,318.75 euros and which will last for 42 months.
The consortium that represents this initiative is made up of thirteen partners: five research centres (CIDETEC Energy Storage, the French Commission for Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy, the Hellas Research and Technology Centre, the German Aerospace Centre DLR and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft), two universities (Technical University of Brunswick and the Polytechnic University of Madrid) two industry leaders (ESI Group and Irizar e-mobility), three small and medium-sized companies (Sustainable Innovations Europe, Lechlanche GmbH and Avesta Battery & Energy Engineering), and a standardisation body (UNE), all coordinated by CIDETEC Energy Storage.