VARTA AG to build lithium-ion cells for battery EVs

VARTA AG has announced large lithium-ion round cells for battery electric vehicles (BEV). The new cells make a difference especially for the next generation of performance cars and for other non-automotive applications, said VARTA CEO Herbert Schein at the company’s first Capital Market Day hosted online. “We believe that our round-cell formats are excellent alternatives for building battery electric vehicles in the performance sector due to their unique features,” Schein said.

VARTA had announced its ultra-high-power lithium-ion round cell V4Drive in the 21700 format (2.1cm in diameter, 7.0cm in height) at the beginning of this year. The V4Drive technology will now be transferred to even larger cell formats. The aim is to power BEVs, offer long driving range, and additional power for dynamic driving. Schein said, “Today’s energy batteries provide automotive engineers the ability to build cars offering a long driving range. V4Drive will offer additional performance qualities on top. An electrical car powered by V4Drive cells will be able to cover large distances and at the same time offer more dynamic driving – and it can be charged much faster than it is possible today.” According to Schein, VARTA will decide on the scale at which the company will enter production of V4Drive by the end of this year, depending on customer demand.

Armin Hessenberger, VARTA’s CFO, said during the event that the company has the financial strength to enter the next growth era. “Since the beginning, VARTA has produced almost half a billion CoinPower cells. VARTA has gained experience in producing small lithium-ion cells, and we are now transferring this know-how into the production of larger rechargeable lithium-ion cells.” Pilot production of the V4Drive cells in the 21700 format will start at the end of this year, mass production is targeted to start two years later, with a production capacity of at least 2GWh.

Rainer Hald, VARTA’s CTO, added, “We have transferred the innovative foil seal design of the hearing aid batteries – where we have become market leaders – to CoinPower and combined it with further innovations. We are now doing the same with V4Drive: We are transferring CoinPower's know-how to V4Drive and adding further innovations.”