xEV Battery Applications

Volkswagen AG plans to massively increase the proportion of electric vehicles by 2030. The focus of battery development is on attractive products in the segments Affordable, Range & Performance. With the help of standardized components, the complexity and diversity of variants in the development, series production, after-sales and recycling of HV batteries will be minimized. Focus of this presentation will be on the electrics and electronics architecture of current and future BEV platforms as well as the design guidelines for optimising customer value with minimized variance.

The new all-electric Porsche Cayenne features innovative battery technology. The presentation covers mechanical architecture from cell to HV battery, with the module being Porsche’s first in-house production, and also addresses the efficient cooling system. Key KPIs such as fast-charging capability, power performance, and function-integrated design are emphasised. Attendees will gain in-depth insights into technical advancements and challenges in electromobility.

To reduce fleet emissions and to achieve ambitious strategic goals for CO2 emission reduction the BMW Group sees the electrification of its model range as a central component of its product strategy. Therefore, there is a clear need for ongoing R&D and further optimisation of lithium-ion battery cell technology being the workhorse of e-mobility. Beyond the priority of key performance indicators such as energy density, safety, and lifetime, this includes the development of low-cost materials as well as the optimisation of materials and electrodes to enable fast charging. This presentation will explore the perspectives and challenges associated with the development of next-generation automotive batteries.

General Motors is building an electrification powerhouse, having launched a dozen EVs into the market, ranging from the Equinox EV to the Cadillac Escalade IQ. Mr. Oury will provide an update on GM’s battery strategy, focusing on engineering the right battery for the right vehicle—aligning performance, cost, and range with customer needs.

With the increasing market share of electrified vehicles and the continuously rising numbers of traction batteries, there is also a demand for battery service and repair. The traction battery is often the most valuable component of the vehicle and represents very valuable resources that need to be maintained with respect to sustainable mobility. Stellantis has set up refurbishment centers within Europe based on the experience gained in Rüsselsheim since 2011. Traction batteries of various types can be analysed and repaired. The talk will explain the integrated methodology for root cause analysis and repair of defective battery packs at Stellantis.

Long-haul trucks operate under duty cycles that differ substantially from those of passenger cars and other light vehicles. However, cell lifetime is still commonly assessed using uniform 1C testing. This work presents a methodology that replaces this one-size-fits-all approach with a truck-specific ageing procedure based on recorded field data. The resulting test protocols reveal significant differences in degradation behavior, enabling more accurate service-life prediction and more informed cell selection for heavy-duty electrification.

This presentation outlines the roadmap connecting battery cell chemistry, cost drivers, and localisation strategies in a rapidly evolving global market. We highlight how material choices, design and supply-chain configuration shape cell cost competitiveness, and examine the impact of currency fluctuations on long-term sourcing decisions. The talk provides a concise view of the key technical and economic levers needed to optimise future battery programs, balancing chemistry innovation, localized manufacturing, and Forex risk management.

Battery swapping is emerging as a holistic solution that bridges vehicle applications and grid services, redefining energy delivery for electric mobility. Unlike ultra-fast charging, swapping enables rapid battery replacement—typically in under five minutes—while maintaining grid stability and battery health. This decoupling of energy replenishment from time and infrastructure constraints offers unmatched convenience, scalability, and operational predictability. Standardized battery packs, as demonstrated by NIO’s approach, support modular upgrades in chemistry, thermal management, and diagnostics, ensuring backward compatibility and continuous innovation. Beyond convenience, swap stations can act as distributed energy hubs, integrating renewable sources and enabling demand-side management. This transforms batteries from static components into dynamic assets that support vehicle performance, second-life applications, and grid balancing. By combining user-centric mobility with smart energy ecosystems, battery swapping delivers a sustainable, upgradeable, and service-oriented model—positioning it as a cornerstone for future EV infrastructure and grid-interactive energy systems.

EVs and batteries are at a turnaround: tight profit margins across the battery supply chain favor large and integrated producers, and increased competition in the EV market pushes toward cheaper chemistries. This presentation from the IEA summarizes the latest market trends, recent developments, and outlook of the electric vehicle and battery markets, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly evolving landscape.

Challenges to the battery supply chain have never been more significant than they are now, and critical minerals have come to the forefront of global discussion. This presentation will cover forecasts for the supply, demand, and price of key battery materials along with potential disruptions including export controls, capacity challenges, and demand shifts.

The Batteries Regulation aims at limiting EU sales to sufficiently sustainable batteries. For this purpose, the regulation covers the entire battery life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials over industrial production, second-life, and/or recycling to disposal. The European Commission's Joint Research Centre supports the development of the related requirements or test procedures scientifically. This presentation will focus on performance, durability, and safety requirements from a technical point of view.

As battery safety regulations tighten, advanced fire protection materials are key to safer, lighter, and more flexible EV battery designs. This presentation surveys different approaches from battery packs on the road, system-level and material-level validation methods, and highlights recent advances in polymeric material research.

Global safety standards like GB38031-2025 and ECE-R100 v5 are reshaping the way we design batteries and how we need to validate them in system context. We detail the implications for business model readiness in global markets, address proven strategies to prevent thermal propagation, and examine effective use of simulation tools. Gain insights from real-world demonstrators and design guidelines—while questioning whether LFP is truly the ultimate safe choice, or if ASSB’s promise conceals challenges such as Li-metal ignition risk and swelling effects.

Recent market developments highlight the need for customer-focused xEVs with high autonomy and competitive pricing. While the rise of cylindrical cells supports adaptability to different powertrain architectures, growing significance of sustainability and supply chain resilience in response to global uncertainties influence cell chemistry choices, with direct implications on pack design. This presentation introduces a scalable cell-to-pack approach employing cylindrical cells emphasising cost and weight reduction while maximising volume utilisation, thus offsetting penalties associated with low energy density chemistries. The design eliminates potting, improving heat transfer, charging rates, and reparability while maintaining safety, offering cost-effective autonomy “rightsised” for the respective application.

The CEA's battery prototyping and processing laboratory has the advantage of being versatile. It can produce industry relevant electrodes (from centimeters to several meters in length) to manufacture prototypes of various sizes (0-10Ah). This scale allows for the evaluation of numerous KPIs for mature chemistries, as well as the exploration of new processes (reduced solvent or dry) and new generations of batteries (Gen4, Gen5). To illustrate this, the collaboration between the CEA and Stellantis will be presented.