New centre of excellence for battery research

Daniel Brandell, Professor at the Department of
Chemistry and director of the centre.
Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt

The centre of excellence for batteries will be called “Batteries Sweden”. Its formal start date is 1 March, and it is being supported by Sweden’s innovation agency, Vinnova.

“Our intention is for the centre to be here for a long time. Vinnova can grant us funding for ten years,” Daniel Brandell, Professor at the Department of Chemistry and director of the centre, tells us.

Chalmers, the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) and the research institute Rise are among the participants, together with some 15 companies, including ABB, Volvo, Scania and Northvolt. The participating higher education institutions (HEIs) make up much of the academic community, which has historically been responsible for much of the battery research out of Sweden. The HEIs still conduct most research in the field.

“We also have a long tradition of cooperating and participating in joint projects. This is a community that we can learn from. It will also be exciting to work more with companies with whom we haven’t had much collaboration previously.”

Covers the entire supply chain

Companies that are involved in the centre cover the entire supply chain for batteries, from raw materials to battery cell manufacturing, adaptations within the automotive industry, power electronics and recycling.

“Companies that model batteries and develop software are also included,” says Brandell.

The work will take the form of projects grouped around various topics. This includes new materials and concepts for batteries, smart batteries and modelling and characterisation.

“Within these defined areas, we will pursue a number of projects that include some of the HEIs and companies, where there are common systems and materials that we are interested in.”

The questions examined in the research projects will come from both the HEIs and the industry.

“One third of the funding for the centre comes from Vinnova, one third from the HEIs and one third from the companies. This means that there must be a clear common interest from both universities and businesses if this is to work,” says Daniel Brandell.

Relevant issues for Swedish industry

The hope is that the initiative will lead to ground-breaking research around issues that are relevant for Swedish industry.

“We will help to make Swedish industry better. The research that we carry out and the materials that we produce will also lead to actual products and as researchers, we find this very exciting.”

In turn, the companies will gain access to first-class research infrastructure and considerable expertise within the field.

“We are absolutely at the leading edge of research, and if Swedish companies are to be able to assert themselves and compete, they need this type of expertise.”