The need to address climate change has become an urgent and critical priority for humanity. Abandoning non-renewable energy sources for renewable ones requires a paradigm shift in the design of fossil-fuel-based systems. The transport industry is one of the largest contributors to GHG emissions, representing approximately 25% of Europe’s total GHG emissions. The electrification of Europe’s fleet of vehicles is a major step towards achieving the goals of the European Green Deal and Fit For 55 initiatives. However, electrification requires the development of battery storage with exceptional power and energy density, in packages which are resistant to environmental stresses, and which can contain or control cascade failures and thermal runaway. To date, most modern, off-the-shelf battery designs targeting lightweight application use lithium-ion technology. This is due to the fact that other existing technologies such as NiMH and Pb: Acid are often too heavy, leading to energy densities inferior to those of Li-Ion technologies. New technologies must improve upon energy density, whilst also employing green, recyclable designs and avoiding the use of critical raw materials.
In addition, the rapid increase in the number of electrified vehicles, especially those employing fast-charging systems, has led to an increasing load on energy generation systems. During periods of mass travel (for example, during the summer vacation season), this can lead to severe loading. It is therefore important to consider the whole of the electric vehicle system – not only at the vehicle level, but also at the infrastructure level. It has been shown that the use of stationary battery storage systems at fast charging points can serve as very effective buffers, reducing the overall load by 72%.
Europe is very strong in terms of its capacity to produce final products (such as EVs and stationary storage systems), but is weaker when considering its capacity to produce and use raw materials, advanced materials, and equipment for manufacturing cells. In addition, Europe’s recycling capacity is also lacking, leading to a situation in which European industry is forced not only to import materials such as lithium for production, but also export waste batteries for recycling. This leads to a massive imbalance in the resource chain, making Europe heavily dependent on outside countries, most notably China, who supplies the bulk of lithium and also recycling services.
The scope of the TEMPEST project will cover the full life cycle of the battery system for both mobile and stationary transport applications, from BoL design and manufacturing, through MoL operational safety and maintenance, to EoL disassembly, recycling and recovery. The TEMPEST project will develop technologies for batteries in the automotive, aircraft, naval, and maritime sectors, as well as developing battery designs for large-scale stationary systems for buffering at fast-charging stations. The project will address both SSC and LIC designs, as each technology has its benefits and drawbacks. SSC based systems offer potential benefits in terms of safety and power density, their cost is often an order of magnitude greater, limiting their use in certain industrial applications where cost is key. LIC based systems, in contrast, can offer more affordable solutions for applications where cost is an overriding factor. As a result, in the current market, both LIC and SSC cells must be considered viable solutions, and selected based upon the specific demands of the application. TEMPEST will provide a holistic approach to next-generation lithium battery technologies, evaluating solutions for both LIC and SSC batteries, which will strengthen the overall positioning of Europe in the global market, and increase its independence on outside markets.
