Transport is responsible for around a quarter of EU greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and more than two thirds of transport-related GHG emissions are from road transport. Countries around the world are betting on EVs to meet sustainability targets. Battery cells are considered as the heart of EVs, and currently EU OEMs import around 90% of the battery cells from Asian companies. New materials and processes are needed if the EU wants to catch up with Asian battery manufacturers. SAFELiMOVE will gather key European actors in the battery sector, from industrial materials producers, to R&D centers and automotive industry, covering the complete knowledge and value chain. SAFELiMOVE will not only strengthen the R&D in the energy and automotive sectors but especially the European industry in these fields. SAFELiMOVE project aims to support a market-driven disruptive technology change towards high energy density batteries (450 Wh/kg or 1200 Wh/L) and improved safety in a cost-effective manner. SAFELiMOVE delivers innovations in five main technology areas: development of nickel-rich layered oxide cathode materials; high specific capacity, lithium metal anode materials; advanced hybrid ceramic-electrolyte with improved ion conductivity at room temperature; interface adoption for effective Li transport by surface modification and/or over-coatings, and knowhow creation for the development of scale up production of all-solid-state batteries. By higher energy density batteries towards 450 Wh/kg, faster charging and longer cycle life, SAFELiMOVE aims to meet future battery requirements for EVs. Thus, the range of EVs will be extended and the electro-mobility and decarbonization will be further pushed forward with impact in climate change scenarios.

As of today, Europe remains not competitive in terms of Lithium battery cell development and especially manufacturing. This lack of competence and competitiveness could quickly spiral down into a complete loss of this key technology for electrification in the EU. Thus IMAGE will significantly contribute to sustainably develop the European Li-battery cell manufacturing competence and capability by creating a competitive, production-oriented research & development framework within Europe. A realistic and well-documented roadmap towards the manufacturing of cost-effective and competitive battery cells within Europe will emerge. This will be enforced by establishing a distributed battery cell production base that will be able, after careful upscaling of production, to supply the now burgeoning electric vehicle industry. From this context, the main goal of IMAGE is to push European’s Li-battery industry and academia to take over a leading role in the development and manufacturing of Next Generation Li-Ion cells. IMAGE has the following major objectives: 1) Develop generic production techniques for next generation battery cells based on high specific energy Li-metal battery cells. This will include a modular development approach that will be easy to up-scale while remaining flexible and safer to replace in case of any contingencies and market/ manufacturer configuration changes. 2) Identify energy and resource efficient cell manufacturing technologies and assets tailored to the existent European industrial infrastructure. This will include the identification of bottleneck factors and challenges that could be addressed in the present European industrial context. 3) Develop a progressive, multiple-tier technological and production framework that is able to cope with the inherent technological changes and advancements characteristic to this dynamic field. Thus, there will be several technologies covered by IMAGE, each having different technological maturity level.