Porsche invests in battery factory

Porsche and Customcells have announced a joint venture called Cellforce Group GmbH which will produce high-performance battery cells near the Weissach Development Centre in Germany, the latest step in Porsche’s electric offensive.

The Federal Republic of Germany and the state of Baden-Württemberg are funding the project with around 60 million euros, while Porsche says it’s investing “a high double-digit million amount” in Cellforce.

“We founded Customcells with the aim of developing customer battery cells for the most demanding of applications, and this is exactly what we can now realise together with Porsche,” Customcells chief executive Torge Thönnessen says.

“The goal for the planned production plant is to reach a minimum annual capacity of 100MWh. This is equivalent to high performance batteries for 1000 vehicles.”

Porsche executive board chairman Oliver Blume says as a new Porsche subsidiary, the Cellforce Group will be instrumental in driving forward research, development, production and sales of high-performance battery cells.

“This joint venture allows us to position ourselves at the forefront of global competition in developing the most powerful battery cell and make it the link between the unmistakable Porsche driving experience and sustainability.”

The new venture, in which Porsche has an 83.75% stake, has its headquarters in Tübingen, shortlisted for the battery factory close to the Weissach centre as well as Porsche AG headquarters in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen.

The initial workforce of 13 provided jointly by both companies is expected to reach 80 by 2025.

Baden-Württemberg minister president Winfried Kretschmann says with the founding of Cellforce, Porsche and Customcells are sending an important signal that electrification is one of the central pillars of the energy and transport transition and modern storage technologies are a key technology of the future.

He says it will bring together all essential parts of the value chain, from individual high-tech components and production technology to battery systems and recycling.

Kretschmann says the project could be expanded further to include others like BMW.

Porsche says the new high tech battery cell will be tested in the motorsport arena while its electric Taycan sports car also receives leading technical features from the racetrack.

The cells use silicon as the anode material which Porsche says seems likely to significantly boost the power density compared to current batteries.

The battery can offer the same energy content with a smaller size and the new chemistry reduces the battery’s internal resistance which allows it to absorb more energy during energy recuperation and provide improved fast charging performance.

The Cellforce battery cell is better able to withstand high temperatures too.

Chemical company BASF is a cell development partner for the next generation of lithium-ion batteries. BASF is providing high-energy HEDTM NCM cathode materials for high-performance cells that enable fast charging and high energy densities. Its manufacturing facilities in Harjavalta, Finland, and Schwarzheide, Brandenburg, Germany, will allow BASF to produce battery materials with an industry-leading low carbon footprint from 2022.

By 2030, Porsche aims to achieve overall carbon neutrality throughout the entire production process and life cycle of its new vehicles.