Porsche invests in Cellforce Group GmbH in the pursuit of high-performance battery technology
Porsche and joint venture partner Customcells today announced the launch of production for high-performance battery cells at the Weissach Development Centre. The announcement demonstrates Porsche’s continued technological innovation, and its commitment to e-mobility.
Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board at Porsche, Winfried Kretschmann, Minister President of Baden-Württemberg. Images: Porsche
“The battery cell is the combustion chamber of the future. As a new Porsche subsidiary, the Cellforce Group will be instrumental in driving forward the research, development, production, and sale of high-performance battery cells,” says Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board at Porsche. “This joint venture allows us to position ourselves at the forefront of global competition in developing the most powerful battery cell and make it the link between the unmistakable Porsche driving experience and sustainability. This is how we shape the future of the sports car.”
Porsche has been involved in the research of high-performance cells with silicon anodes for a while now; early research in this new battery technology has demonstrated it is possible to significantly boost the power density of cells compared to current batteries. New chemistry reduces the battery’s internal resistance, and it can offer the same energy content with a smaller footprint, and crucially, less weight. Silicon anodes effectively hold many more lithium ions, and they can move more freely than through graphite. An extra benefit is that lower-quality silicon can be used to no detriment, potentially making silicon anode Li-ion batteries cheaper than current graphite anode technology.
This graphic demonstrates how current batteries are charged and discharged. Image: Porsche
Porsche holds an 84 per cent majority stake in the new venture, which will be headquartered in the university town of Tübingen. The town is also a likely contender for a new battery cell factory, due to its proximity to the abovementioned development centre in Weissach and Porsche AG’s Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen headquarters.
The number of employees is expected to grow from the initial workforce of 13 provided jointly by both companies to up to 80 by 2025. The Federal Republic of Germany and the state of Baden-Württemberg are funding the project with around 60 million euros.
Michael Steiner, Boris Palmer, Torge Thönnessen, Winfried Kretschmann and Oliver Blume (f.l.t.r.)
“We founded Customcells with the aim of developing customer-specific battery cells for the most demanding of applications, and this is exactly what we can now realise together with Porsche. The goal for the planned production plant is to reach a minimum annual capacity of 100 MWh. This is equivalent to high-performance batteries for 1,000 vehicles,” explains Torge Thönnessen, CEO of Customcells. “We are not only contributing our expertise in cell technology and production into our partnership with Porsche, but also agility, innovative strength, and individual problem-solving skills,” adds Leopold König, who is also the new company’s CEO.
Source: Porsche