The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has commissioned a new factory dedicated to the research of battery cells in Münster, Germany.
Designed for the testing, implementation, research and optimisation of battery cells with capacities up to 200MWh; the new factory, christened FFB PreFab, is expected to contribute to an expected quadrupling of battery production within Europe by 2025.
The factory, which will conduct tests for batteries in a wealth of industries including automotive, recently achieved a major milestone with its doors opening for prospective occupants on 30 April 2024.
Funding for PreFab comes in part from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, who have contributed a total of up to 680 million euros as part of the ‘FoFeBat’ project.
One of several production partners for the facility, Siemens AG, has contributed both software and hardware based on its open Siemens Xcelerator platform.
Thorsten Selle, Head of the Siemens branch in Münster, said:Automation and digitalization are the keys to continuing to be competitive in industrial production in Germany in the future. With its construction of a new research factory for battery cells in Münster, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft will play an important pioneering role for the German electromobility supply industry. Siemens is contributing its industry-specific expertise in automation and digitalization.
