FPT Industrial has joined the European battery research project SeNSE. Working with five other industrial companies and five research institutes, the brand will explore and help advance lithium-ion battery technology.
Centrally the project aims to develop a new range of batteries badged Generation 3b, which will have a higher energy density, improved cell chemistry, a more advanced battery management system, longer life, a faster charging capability and more refined temperature management than today’s lithium-ion batteries.
SeNSE plans to produce the new batteries in gigafactories in Europe. One of the partners meanwhile, plans to build the first gigafactory in this region in the next few years.
Sustainability will be a key focus of SeNSE’s research; the cathode, the positively charged electrode of an electrical device, will be manufactured without the use of flammable and toxic solvents, simplifying their production and reducing the cost.
In addition, the initiative will look at the possibilities of repurposing decommissioned vehicle batteries as stationary storage units, and the recycling of the batteries.
SenSE is part of the European Battery Alliance, an initiative launched by the European Commission in 2017 to create a competitive manufacturing value chain in Europe with sustainable battery cells. It is supported by the EU research funding program Horizon 2020.