How Automotive OEMs Can Maximize EV Battery Quality While Accelerating Time-to-Market

Shortage of experienced staff – Mass-scale battery manufacturing has only existed in the Americas since 2010, so there is still a learning curve with few personnel experienced in the end-to-end operations in such large facilities. To run profitably, US and Canadian manufacturers need to be selective about where they allocate their teams given the shortage of skilled workers.

Quality, safety, and traceability– There have been well-publicized incidents that prove lithium-ion batteries can be unstable and can create safety-related issues. In the battery and automotive industries, quality equals safety. When high-quality cells are produced, the battery will likely be safe for end-use applications. Defective batteries can and will result in increased warranty liabilities and pose safety concerns to the consumer. During the manufacturing process, defects often occur upstream in the electrode coating process, posing both a challenge and the opportunity to proactively implement process improvements.

Time-to-market – The need to supply the market with EVs and batteries as fast as possible represents a critical challenge for all manufacturers. It takes cell manufacturing projects years between initial plant design concepts and when the plant can ship a steady stream of quality cells to end-use partners. A coordinated fast start-up of operations with key technology partners enables an accelerated timeline to produce cells.

Cost control – When defects in batteries are detected in production, the defective units usually cannot be corrected during the production process and are sent off-site for recycling or disposal. This results in additional operational costs, increased safety risk to those within the facility, and a higher carbon footprint for the factory overall. These costs can be drastically reduced, and the process can be made more sustainable, if defects are identified early in the process to ensure the cells that are produced meet all specifications. New technologies are highly effective at performing early defect detection. For example, software and inline measurement and control technologies ensure production continuously remains within specification limits.

Inline measurement devices such as this scanner integrated with machine controls and automation systems to ensure on-spec production.

A history of industry knowledge – Honeywell’s battery manufacturing safety and quality-related technology solutions have been deployed globally and continuously improved for over 25 years. Honeywell’s long history in the cell production process has led to integrated, purpose-built solutions that detect issues early, provide precise measurement and control solutions, identify where the quality issues occur, and help determine how to implement process improvements.

Comprehensive offering – Most plant automation providers address only one piece of the quality puzzle. Honeywell is uniquely positioned to provide an integrated solution that spans the entire operation, providing superior visibility across every stage of the battery cell production process. This enables automotive OEMs and joint venture partners to scale purpose-built gigafactories that drive quality, yield, and ROI while maintaining efficiency, safety, and the highest quality output.

More access to data—Operators, process engineers, and manufacturing leadership are given more data visibility both within their own process area in addition to those upstream and downstream. Honeywell’s end-to-end traceability offers visibility and control over the entire battery manufacturing process. This is achieved using easy-to-interpret data dashboards that show why a process is working, document any out-of-specification events, and accelerate the resolution of quality events.

Time-to-market—Honeywell solutions enable quick set-up and ramp-up of gigafactory operations. Extended quality control delays are avoided by identifying issues as soon as they occur and using the data and feedback in near-real time to make process improvements.