Basquevolt opens solid state center

Basquevolt, the solid state lithium battery developer and manufacturer, inaugurated its innovation center in mid-June in an official ceremony presided over by the president of the Basque government, Iñigo Urkullu and the company’s investment partners.

The company claims that its technology will revolutionize the lithium battery market as the greater efficiencies and safety of solid state batteries replaces existing lithium chemistries.

The company CEO, Francisco Carranza, said he expects to start producing its 20Ah cells by the end of the year. A spokesperson said solid state lithium technology can “reach a high energy density — 1,000Wh/l and 450Wh/kg) — while reducing overall battery pack costs.

“Basquevolt battery cells can be produced through a more efficient, less complex process, creating a 30% reduction in the capital investment needed per GWh in a gigafactory and 30% less energy used per kWh produced, compared to lithium-ion batteries.” by rising raw material and energy prices. At the end of 2020, the cost of a battery pack (€200 per kWh) was more than double the amount anticipated. In the last two years alone, nickel has risen in price by over 70% and lithium by 870%.”

The auditors also criticise the lack of quantified, time-bound targets. Some 30 million zero-emission vehicles are expected on European roads by 2030 and, potentially, nearly all new vehicles registered from 2035 onwards will be battery-powered. However, the EU’s current strategy does not assess the capacity of its battery industry to meet this demand.

The auditors warned of two potential worst-case scenarios should the EU battery production capacity fail to grow as projected.

The first is that the EU could be forced to delay its ban on vehicles with combustion engines beyond 2035, thus failing to meet its carbon-neutrality objectives.

The second is that it could be forced to rely heavily on non-EU batteries and electric vehicles, to the detriment of the European automotive industry and workforce, to achieve a zero-emission fleet by 2035.

GS Yuasa announced the start of operations on June 15 of a 240MW/720 MWh BESS to support a wind power facility in Japan.

Yuasa said the lithiumion BESS delivered to the North Hokkaido Wind Energy Transmission Corporation started operations last March, following a

16-month installation period that ended in November 2021.

The system, equipped with about 210,000 modules and 3.3 million cells, will be maintained by Yuasa for 20 years.

Yuasa manufactured the batteries, which use the firm’s proprietary Starelink battery maintenance service and associated remote monitoring technology to constantly monitor the voltage of all cells.

The BESS will help to suppress output fluctuations caused by weather changes and aid grid stabilization, the company said.