11.08.2010 "The ZSW in Ulm is a unique pearl in Europe and will be able to expand its position further with the planned battery research centre. The latter will be a unique service centre for the vehicle-battery industry that is currently becoming established", explained Minister of Economics Ernst Pfister today when laying the foundation stone for the battery research centre at the Zentrum für Sonnenenergie und Wasserstoff- Forschung Baden-Württemberg (ZSW = centre for solar energy and hydrogen research) in Ulm.
The new research centre will concentrate on research into production technologies for a new generation of high-performance batteries and will also carry out battery tests. Its heart will be a production line for lithium-ion batteries. This will enable the investigation of new combinations of materials and their effects on systems development within a complete process chain.
For construction of the "materials research" laboratory, the state has provided support in the form of contributions obtained from the European Fund for Regional Development (EFRE) and co-financing to the tune or around 3.8 million euros in total.
Another main focus of research is the multiplicity of tests that range from life-cycle and performance tests to safety and reliability tests. The insights thus gained will help to fulfil the requirements of the automotive industry regarding the energy density, safety, life-cycle and costs of high-performance batteries. "The project is of great strategic importance, not only for Baden-Württemberg as a location for the automobile sector but also for Ulm as a research location with proven expertise in the area of electrochemistry", said Pfister. The entire construction work will cost around 13 million euros.
The minister pointed out that a study commissioned by the ministry of economics forecast that the classical combustion engine would experience a decrease in sales of 0.6 billion euros from 2010 to 2020 and thus entail a loss of approx. 1,800 jobs. In contrast, efficiency technologies for the combustion engine, the electric engine and battery systems as well as electronics would have the potential to create just under 20,000 jobs for Baden-Württemberg in the same period. Altogether, more jobs would be gained than would be lost due to the change in favour of electro-mobility. "This technological and structural transformation in the area of sustainable mobility is being supported by the state government with its electro-mobility initiative, which is intended to promote the development of alternative drive concepts", said Pfister.
In addition to and as a supplement to measures that have already been initiated and are running, a state initiative for the promotion of electro-mobility was approved in Baden-Württemberg in November 2009. This initiative envisages an additional 28.5 million euros for the years 2010 to 2014. The money will be used to support specific structural and project-related measures that will improve the climate of innovation for speedy implementation of environment-friendly electro-mobility concepts over the long term. The core of the state initiative is the state agency for electro-mobility and fuel-cell technology – e-mobil BW GmbH – which commenced work on 1st June, 2010.
A special focus relating to electrification of the drivetrain and the use of regenerative energy is placed on the battery as a central component. "Expertise and competence have to be built up in this field so that Baden-Württemberg can play a leading role in the area of electro-mobility in future. This is where the battery research centre will make a decisive contribution", said the minister.
The ZSW was established over 20 years ago in Stuttgart and Ulm and is one of twelve institutes in the "alliance of innovation". It is one of the most prestigious institutes in Europe in the area of research into renewable energy and energy storage technology.
Source: Ministry of Economics Baden-Württemberg
http://www.e-mobilbw.de/Pages/index.php
http://www.wm.baden-wuerttemberg.de/elektromobilitaet/223250.html
http://www.zsw-bw.de/
