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Denis discusses his role and involvement with regards to EV batteries, industry challenges, what he is looking forward to at the event and why it is important for engineers to attend.
Q: Could you briefly explain your role, involvement, and experience with regards to EV batteries?
Denis Pasero (DP): My position at Ilika is Product Commercialisation Manager. My role is to understand market needs and translate these into features in our products. Ilika has been involved in developing materials for EV batteries since 2008, when we started a collaboration project, now ended, with Toyota. We created IP for Ilika and decided to formally start the design of a solid-state pouch cell for electric vehicles in 2018.
Q: Many OEMs are pledging to be fully electric by 2030/2035, in light of this what would you say we need next to ensure a mainly electric vehicle presence in the market in the UK?
DP: We are creating strong relationships within the UK battery ecosystem, precisely to ensure we adhere to the Rules of Origin concept in the UK. Relationships include at R&D level with state-of-the-art academic groups; trials with materials and equipment manufacturers; scale-up facilities (we are working with UKBIC on a feasibility study for scaling up to MWh-scale); and of course, many giga-factories will need to exist, which need to develop a strong value proposition since giga-factories in China for example are already dominant on price and volume.
Q: What do you think is the main area in the battery lifecycle that needs development to ensure a net-zero carbon lifecycle to match the 2050 target?
DP: Regarding Ilika’s solid-state batteries (SSB), we are exploring potential benefits in terms of manufacturing (a positive is the need for shorter formation and ageing stages, whilst we are also looking to decrease sintering temperatures) all the way to recycling and end-of-life, which might be less costly for SSB. In usage, higher energy density packs and lighter cars will also impact the net-zero lifecycle positively.
Q: What key topics are you excited to discuss at this year's conference?
DP: Our presentation will concentrate on early studies regarding scaling up SSB. In order for SSB to reach price parity with lithium-ion batteries (LIB), it is crucial that equipment currently used in LIB manufacturing can also be used in SSB giga-factories. We will report on positive findings in this presentation.
Q: Regarding new technologies for battery use and operation, what would you say are the ones to watch for the future?
DP: We believe that solid-state technology will take over from LIB once LIB have reached their performance plateau. Improvement in terms of energy, power, weight, and charge time will be experienced at cell but also at pack level.
Q: Who else are you most interested in hearing from on the programme?
DP: Events such as International EV Batteries are a great opportunity to meet people in our ecosystem face-to-face; for this event, we are particularly interested in hearing from and meeting companies involved in supply chain, equipment manufacturing and scale up.
Q: Why is it important for engineers to join this year’s International EV Batteries conference?
DP: International EV Batteries is one of the key events in the UK battery and EV calendar, gathering a great bunch of like-minded experts from UK and beyond.
This year’s International EV Batteries conference will be taking place on 8-9 November 2022 in the heart of the world famous Grand Prix circuit at Silverstone. To book your place, please visit www.imeche.org/evbatteries.