Germany to Build €680m Battery Test Plant with Digital Twin

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, a renowned research organization, has recently unveiled a state-of-the-art €680 million research factory in Germany dedicated to testing battery cells with a capacity of up to 200 MWh alongside a cutting-edge digital twin.

The Fraunhofer FFB research plant, located in Münster, is part of the FoFeBat (FFB) project aimed at testing and optimizing near-series production conditions for battery cells used in the automotive industry and various other applications. This ambitious project involves collaboration between 14 Fraunhofer institutes, led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology (IPT), RWTH Aachen University, the MEET Battery Research Center at the University of Münster, and the Forschungszentrum Jülich.

With the demand for battery production on the rise, Europe is set to quadruple its capacity by 2025, reaching over 500 gigawatt hours from 124 gigawatt hours in 2022. By 2030, this capacity is projected to increase tenfold to up to 1.5 terawatt hours, as indicated by a study conducted by the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation (ISI).

The construction of the largest German and Europe-wide competence center for developing and testing battery cell production, including for electric vehicles, is currently underway in Münster. This facility will provide an essential infrastructure for companies of all sizes and research institutions to test, implement, and optimize the production of new batteries.

Siemens, a key development partner, is supplying Fraunhofer FFB with software and hardware based on the Siemens Xcelerator platform. This collaboration will enable the digitalization, automation, control, and monitoring of machines, processes, and buildings, ensuring seamless integration of systems for efficient production.