On June 7, 2024, the time had finally come - our long-awaited Battery Pitch took place, both live on the EUREF campus in Berlin and online. The symposium marked the starting point in our efforts to drive standardization in the LEV industry. A significant milestone, because the standardization of individual components is one of the key challenges that electric light mobility must face if it is to ramp up the market.

The host Mobility2Grid, in the person of Prof. Dr. Dienel, first welcomed the participants and in his welcoming speech presented the different approaches and projects from the scientific community regarding new mobility on the EUREF Campus.

Cluster manager Annette Eni then opened the Battery Pitch with an urgent appeal that we must not lose sight of the common goal of “saving the climate” and that we must join forces to reach the finish line more quickly.

Stefan Gelbhaar, member of the Bundestag and spokesman for transport policy since 2020, opened the sessions with strong words about the need for a long-term vision for the integration of LEVs and said that the course should have been set ten years ago. His keynote immediately laid the foundation for a lively discussion with the participants and speakers.

Insights from

industry experts

Experts such as sociologist Dr. Thomas Blanchet and Dominik Droese provided exciting insights into topics such as participation and user acceptance as well as research into various battery chemistries. Carl-Ernst Forchert from ReLioS and Elmar Kreß from Swobbee shed light on the aspects of battery recycling and the integration of battery systems into swapping systems.

Innovative concepts from battery manufacturers

A special highlight of the event were the pitches from leading battery manufacturers, who provided in-depth insights into their innovative concepts.

From AES Akku Energie Systeme GmbH to Battery-Kutter GmbH & Co. KG to Smart Battery Solutions GmbH and ANSMANN AG, the companies presented their different working methods and latest developments, explained production and adaptation processes, and explained their view of the LEV market. In addition, the problems and the advantages and disadvantages of standardization were discussed very openly and constructively.

Overall, however, all battery manufacturers were open to the development of a uniform interchangeable battery standard, as they are also aware that this would enable the market to be scaled better.

Benefits of Standardization

Products that meet uniform standards enjoy greater consumer confidence, and rightly so. Because if there is no longer any system dependency on the various manufacturers, the vehicle purchased can be repaired or supplemented even after the manufacturer has ceased to exist, which increases the product life cycle and thus secures the purchase in the long term.

Consumers would also no longer have to worry about compatibility problems, for example at battery exchange stations, and could also operate different vehicles with one battery. This would also reduce the purchase costs, as a battery would not necessarily have to be purchased for each new vehicle. A standard would therefore significantly improve the user experience and thus increase the acceptance of LEVs.

In addition, swapping systems would be easier to install across the board, which would increase convenience and safety on the one hand, and would also eliminate the issue of range.

The downstream industry, such as recycling, refurbishing and second use, can also better adapt to standardized products and automate their processes more efficiently.

A standard would also be beneficial for battery manufacturers, as they would also be able to produce larger quantities in a planned manner, regardless of the manufacturer, which would lead to lower production costs and improve margins.

Standardization therefore not only saves resources, but also time and money. It promotes innovation and competition in the market by providing a stable basis for technological advances.

Conclusion with valuable insights

Hans Constin from Constin GmbH and Hannes Neupert rounded off the event with exciting presentations on the topics of form factor, connector systems and standardization work. The concluding panel discussion provided valuable suggestions and once again highlighted the enormous potential of standardization for the future of electric light mobility.

Together into the Future

Many thanks go to our host Prof. Dr. Dienel and the TU Berlin as well as to all speakers and participants for their valuable contributions and active participation. Together we have shown that standardization is a common task that we are tackling with great commitment and ambition.

Next Steps

We are already looking forward to the first standardization workshops, where we want to set the course for a successful future of electric light mobility together with LEV developers, battery manufacturers and scientists.

If you are interested, you can note down the workshop dates:

• September 30, 2024

"lowest common denominator" (format and connector)

• November 25, 2024

  “which language do we want to speak” (BMS, CAN BUS Open Source, etc.)