Italy / UK – Italian industrial automation company, Comau, part of global automaker, Stellantis, headquartered in Turin, has partnered with UK battery cell producer LiNa Energy Ltd, from Lancashire, to develop a scalable solid-state battery* using sodium-metal-chloride battery cells**. Comau has been tasked with designing the cell digitalisation and automation strategy, which aims to accelerate solid-state battery development. Engineers from both companies are designing the enclosure and handling equipment for solid-state battery cell components. They are also integrating commercially available equipment, including Comau’s “cleanroom-classified, high-speed Racer-5 Sensitive Environments articulated robots.”

Last month Bartek Kras, CEO of Polish battery manufacturer Impact Clean Power Technology SA (ICPT) told T&BB that whilst we are easily 10 years away from seeing solid-state batteries installed in EVs, the change will be an industry game changer***, thanks to the added ability to store more energy which will translate into longer range.