Batteries for electric vehicles: research & innovation

[Research & Innovation – ACC

Batteries for electric vehicles: now and in the future]

[Batteries for electric vehicles: what are the challenges?]

[Philippe Biensan, Chief Technical Officer – ACC]

Philippe Biensan: The technological challenges currently posed by batteries center on different issues: first, we want to extend vehicle driving range, and second, we want to improve fast charging. We want to make batteries more affordable, which means reducing the cost of the materials and choosing materials that are less energy-hungry. Then there is the CO₂ impact: how can we reduce the carbon impact of manufacture, not just use, based on the processes and materials we use?

[What resources does ACC have in place?]

Philippe Biensan: Since ACC was founded, we’ve established our R&D center in Bruges, France, outside Bordeaux, where we currently have about 140 researchers, and a target for 250. We also have a production line in Nersac that is helping us optimize the product/process relationship and manufacture the first production samples for delivery to our customers. The initial products will be manufactured in 2023 at our factories in northern France.

[How are the three shareholders contributing to ACC’s R&D activities?]

Philippe Biensan: Saft is drawing on more than a century of experience with batteries by lending its state-of-the-art expertise and knowledge of the product, battery chemistry and performance and cell and module design. Stellantis is bringing its expertise in the automotive world, manufacturing and cost reduction to ensure the products are compatible with the automotive sector. As for Mercedes, it’s still early to talk about their R&D contribution but given Mercedes’s quality system and standards, it’s obviously safe to say that our joint R&D will reflect that know-how.