MI-CURE: Microwave and Inductive CURing of battery Electrodes

Purpose and goal:

The MI-CURE project is a feasibility study that will investigate alternative, potentially more energy efficient, higher quality, lower-cost, lower production footprint techniques for electric vehicle (EV) battery production, based on microwave and inductive curing and drying techniques. If successful, the feasibility study will create the foundation for an implementation and scale-up project that will support Northvolt and RISE to take EV battery production technology to a higher level of sustainability and affordability - for the benefit of the global environment.

Expected results and effects:

The pre-study will investigate sustainable and cost-efficient processes, based on microwave and inductive curing and drying methods, for EV battery electrode manufacture lifting the maturity to TRL 3. This will provide the foundation for an implementation phase project for the new production process technology. The pre-study will also analyse the production process method to have a minimum environmental impact with a life cycle perspective.

Furthermore, an economic model will be developed and implemented at the Northvolt facilities for the new production process technology. Approach and implementation:

The pre-study project is performed in seven subsequent work packages. Both Northvolt and RISE will be involved in all work packages and they will conduct the work in close collaboration. The core activities will be conducted by Northvolt whilst RISE will provide key contributions concerning existing solutions and challenges, limitations, and requirements, for the potential microwave and inductive drying process.

Each work package is divided into multiple tasks. These, together with a series of project milestones, will provide the key to success for reaching the project goals.