Solvay and Airborne get funds for BEMA battery pack project

Solvay has announced that its Battery Enclosure Materials Automation (BEMA) project, in partnership with Airborne, has won major funding from Innovate UK as part of UK Research and Innovation. BEMA aims to develop an all-composite solution for energy-efficient battery packs in electric cars and aircraft. The project has already received letters of support from Jaguar Land Rover and Vertical Aerospace, both of whom are interested in the sustainability aspect of the project that aims to reuse composite waste.

Mark Wright, EMEA Sales manager, Automotive, at Solvay Materials, said the project seeks to deliver more energy-efficient electric powertrain and propulsion solutions to meet net-zero emission regulations and targets. Wright added that while EVs and aircraft already benefit from structural and weight-saving advantages over metals, fully composite battery designs for larger production volumes have yet to show their technical and manufacturing feasibility.

The BEMA project combines Solvay's advanced thermosetting material technology with Airborne's expertise in flexible automated composite manufacturing systems to create lightweight next-generation battery packs, providing a significant step-change towards higher energy efficiency at a reduced size.

Joe Summers, Commercial Director of Airborne, said that as the demand for industrial quantities of composite battery enclosures grows, the challenge is to shorten the design phase and provide Design-for-Automation guidance. Working with Solvay will build material characteristics into Design-for-Manufacture rules for Airborne's multi-material automated ply placement technology, allowing them to connect their adaptable automation platform with intelligent planning and optimization.

The BEMA project is currently in a pre-industrial testing and evaluation stage. Mechanical impact, shielding, thermal, and fire performance tests are underway at Solvay’s Composite Materials Application Centre in Heanor, UK, and external service providers. In the next project phase, prototypes will be produced to validate the new composite battery enclosure solutions in field trials and obtain proof of concept for industrialization. The project will also address rate capability, cost, and sustainability challenges. Tangible and dependable results are expected within an overall project time of two years.