Image: OCSiAlOCSiAl has announced that it has secured PowerCo, Volkswagen Group’s battery subsidiary, as a major customer for its nanotubes. The company’s TUBALL nanotubes are an additive that forms a conductive, reinforcing three-dimensional network and can stabilise cathode and anode systems in lithium-ion batteries, among other applications. OCSiAl specialises in single-wall carbon nanotubes and manufactures them at its new production facility in Serbia.PowerCo plans to use the additive in the graphite anode of its unified cell. According to an accompanying statement, the nanotubes are expected to ‘help improve safety, charging performance, and battery service life.’ Gregory Gurevich, Senior Vice President at OCSiAl, added: “Single wall carbon nanotubes significantly enhance the electrical conductivity of graphite anodes and improve heat dissipation, enabling battery cells to operate at higher charging and discharging currents without overheating.”OCSiAl says it now supplies the majority of electric vehicle battery manufacturers in Europe with its TUBALL nanotubes. With demand expected to increase further as next-generation battery platforms enter the market, the company is evaluating the expansion of additional production capacity in Europe.Plans are already underway for OCSiAl to build a flagship facility for graphene nanotubes in Luxembourg, with an investment of 300 million US dollars. Gregory Gurevich commented: “Today, batteries containing OCSiAl nanotubes power around one million electric vehicles worldwide. In the PowerCo project, we supply nanotube solutions for graphite anodes. […]These advanced conductive additives are essential for high-performance battery platforms produced at industrial scale.”PowerCo has been manufacturing its so-called unified cell at its Salzgitter plant since December. The concept dates back to the tenure of former Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess.The unified cell is a prismatic battery cell with a standardised format measuring 256 x 24.8 x 106 millimetres. Its standardised architecture is designed to enable use across Volkswagen Group brands and global markets, while delivering economies of scale, lower costs and greater technological flexibility. To meet the requirements of different vehicle segments—from small electric cars to large luxury SUVs and Porsche sports cars—the standardised cell format can accommodate various cell chemistries, including future solid-state cells.This concept is being implemented directly in the first series application of the unified cell: the Electric Urban Car Family centred around the VW ID. Polo will be offered with both LFP and NMC cells.ocsial.com
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