Advancements in battery manufacturing will be the catalyst for the growth of high performance electric vehicles and consumer electronics. The battery manufacturing track will take a global perspective on battery manufacturing and will bring together the key stakeholders that represent the complete value chain of battery manufacturing and will showcase the latest innovations from key manufacturers in Asia, Europe and the United States. With presentations focusing on the latest approaches to assembly, automation, efficiency, inspection methods and cost reduction, valuable insight will be gained into the entire global manufacturing ecosystem. Conference attendees will gain a critical understanding of the state of manufacturing from around the world and who is leading the way to the future of battery manufacturing.

Final Agenda

Monday, March 20

7:00 am – 4:00 pm Tutorial* Registration Open

7:00 – 8:00 am Morning Coffee

8:00 – 4:00 Pre-Conference Tutorials*

12:30 – 1:30 pm Luncheon Presentation (Sponsorship Opportunity Available) or Enjoy Lunch on Your Own

1:30 – 2:00 Networking Refreshment Break

* Separate registration required for Tutorials.

Tuesday, March 21

7:30 am Registration and Morning Coffee

Innovation and Design for Manufacturing

8:30 Organizer’s Opening Remarks

Craig Wohlers, Executive Director, Conferences, Cambridge EnerTech

8:35 Chairperson’s Remarks

Franz Kruger, Ph.D., Head of Business Unit, Treofan Group

8:40 KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: The Kinetic Characteristics of the EDV Cell and Their Applications in EDV Industry

John Zhang, Ph.D., Senior Technology Executive Officer, Asahi Kensai Group, Japan

Besides battery safety and battery coat issues of EDV industry, the kinetic properties of the EDV cell (battery) impose another critical and important impact on EDV market and EDV performance. We will address the kinetic properties of the EDV battery, such as DCR of the cell and components (instead of the classic measured static impedance), to address the EDV cell performance and rationalizing cell design of EDV to ensure lasting large current charge and discharge and to reduce their impact on EDV cell cycle life.

9:10 Development of 21700 Cylindrical Cell at Lishen

Zhaobin Feng, Ph.D., Vice President, Lishen Research Institute, Tianjin Lishen Battery Joint Stock Co., Ltd., China

As the increase of environmental protection and the limitation of fossil fuel consumption, xEV is undergoing high speed development. Due to the relatively low production costs, cylindrical cell is widely used in xEV. However, the requirements of capacity and power for cylindrical cell are higher and higher. Under this background, 21700 cell with 21mm diameter and 70mm height is designed and produced. As one of the largest battery manufacturer around the world, Tianjin Lishen Battery Joint-Stock Co. Ltd. pushes a series of 21700 cylindrical cells, including high capacity cell for EV, middle power cell for PHEV, high power cell for HEV and 48V start-stop, and so forth. In this presentation, we will give detailed introductions to our production classification, technique Improvement, performance exhibition and the roadmap.work.

9:40 Chinese EV Market & Cathode Materials Used for Automotive LIBs

Yuan Gao, Ph.D., President and CEO, PULEAD, China

The Chinese EV market is experiencing an unprecedented growth, and it is having a great impact on the whole supply chain including all components beyond China. The growth and its implications to the cathode chemistries as well as the raw materials used upstream will be discussed.

10:10 Networking Coffee Break

10:45 Research Progress of Advanced Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Peter Cheng, Ph.D., Chief Scientist, HighPower International, China

Synergistic effect of electrolyte additives was studied for the lithium ion batteries with high voltage cathode materials. Design and development of advanced batteries with high energy density. Design and development of solid sate batteries. POM materials with improved electrochemical performance as the cathode materials of lithium ion batteries.

11:15 The Grand Challenge of Advanced Batteries

Kev Adjemian, Ph.D., Division Director, Clean Energy & Transportation, Idaho National Laboratory

The Energy Storage and Advanced Vehicles department at the Idaho National Laboratory is working with other stakeholders to develop capabilities to facilitate the development of advanced battery systems. In this presentation, the current barriers and understandings of the shortcomings in the battery performance will be discussed. The issues with durability, reliability and safety will be depicted to help understanding the grand challenge and to develop the strategy to address and overcome this grand challenge faced by the battery research community.

11:45 Towards the Commercialization of High Energy Density Na-Ion Batteries

Jerry Barker, Ph.D., Founder and CTO, Faradion Limited

Sodium-ion (Na-ion) batteries represent an attractive alternative to their lithium-ion counterparts, and are expected to offer some significant commercial advantages such as lower material costs and improved safety characteristics. To demonstrate the commercial viability of Na-ion batteries, Faradion has scaled-up this cell chemistry to the 10 Ah (32 Wh) prototype cell level using traditional Li-ion manufacturing methods. Performance, cost and safety characteristics of the Faradion Na-ion cells will be described during the presentation.

12:15 pm The Study of Thermal Management System with Intelligent Temperature Control for Power Battery Pack

Jimson Jiang, Senior Engineer, Research & Development, EVE Energy Co., Ltd.

Helen Lin, Director, Sales, EVE Energy Co., Ltd.

The thermal management system, which adopts advanced thermal management scheme and intelligent control strategy, can guarantee that the pack works at an optimum and uniform temperature during the charging and discharging processes at different climate conditions.

12:40 Networking Luncheon (All Are Welcome)

1:40 Networking Refreshment Break

Advances in Cell Manufacturing

2:10 Chairperson’s Remarks

Christophe Pillot, Ph.D., Battery Survey Manager, Avicenne Energy, France

2:15 China EV and EV Battery Field: Production, Market Growth and R&D Activities

Jiqiang Wang, Ph.D., Director, China Industrial Association of Power Sources (CIAPS)., China

2:45 Pre-Lithiumation in Cell Production, Realistic or Impractical?

Hang Shi, Ph.D., President, Hslion Consulting, China

The benefits of a lithium ion cell made by pre-lithiumated anode are multifold. The two practical pre-lithiumation methods by lithium powder and foil are discussed in this presentation. The industrial production of lithium-ion cells with pre-lithiumated anode is recently made possible with innovative equipment.

3:15 Lowering Operational Costs during Cell Forming

Greg Schuster, Business Development Manager, Automotive and Energy Solutions (AES), Keysight Technologies

To keep margins up, battery cells must be manufactured inexpensively. Unlike equipment costs that are paid once, operational costs scale with the number of cells formed. This presentation will cover how to lower operational costs through efficient use of electricity and lower maintenance costs while providing high quality cell measurements.

3:30 Evaluation of Factory Infrastructure for Advanced Battery Manufacturing

Ankush Halbe, M.S., Technology Director, Renewable Energy, M+W Group

The battery industry is highly cost competitive and requires that the building and facilities construction for cell manufacturing be rapid, lean, and energy efficient. A building and interior design concept is presented for a battery cell factory that delivers cell production materials into the facility, and ships out finished product with minimal site and utility impact. The design of the facility systems for air and chemical handling is driven primarily by the process, material, and personnel requirements inside the battery facility. Some battery facilities require advanced Dry rooms with <1% RH to maintain cell performance and safety specifications. Advanced Dry room technology development also considers several other critical manufacturing parameters such as temperature, chemistry, automation, machine loads, energy consumption, and others.

3:45 Grand Opening Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

4:30 Li-Ion Technology for Space, Defense and Industrial Applications

Thomas Greszler, Chemistry Division Manager, SAFT

Recent progress on LTO, in regards to engine starter and low-earth-orbit satellite batteries, will be presented especially in regards to high temperature operation which has been enabled by understanding and mitigating gas generation. In addition, performance and life data will be presented for Mn-phosphate based cells. Finally, challenges and progress toward operation of Li-ion cells at >100°C will be discussed.

5:00 Analysis of Li-Ion Battery Joining Technologies

Wayne Cai, Ph.D., Staff Researcher, General Motors

This talk provides a comprehensive review and analysis of joining technologies for automotive lithium-ion battery manufacturing. It compares the advantages and disadvantages of the different joining technologies as related to battery manufacturing, including ultrasonic welding, resistance welding, laser beam welding, wire-bonding, and mechanical joining. Joining processes for electrode-to-tab, tab-to-tab, tab-to-busbar, and module-to-module assembly are discussed with respect to cell types and pack configuration.

5:30 Transition to Breakout Discussions

5:35 Interactive Breakout Discussion Groups

Participants choose a specific breakout discussion group to join. Each group has a moderator to ensure focused discussions around key issues within the topic. This format allows participants to meet potential collaborators, share examples from their work, vet ideas with peers, and be part of a group problem-solving endeavor. The discussions provide an informal exchange of ideas and are not meant to be a corporate or specific product discussion.

TABLE 1: Battery History from Bangkok to Lithium-Ion

Shep Wolsky, Ph.D., Founder, International Battery Seminar & Exhibit

TABLE 2: Understanding the Impact of Electrolyte on Battery Performance

Sam Jaffe, Managing Director, Cairn ERA, Cairn Energy Research Advisors

TABLE 3: Improving Li-Ion Energy Density and Cell Safety & Stability

Carl Thoemmes, Vice President, Sales, Silatronix, Inc.

TABLE 4: Cell Manufacturing

Raf Goossens, Ph.D., CEO, Global Corporate Management, PEC

TABLE 5: The Patent Landscape across the Battery Industry: Patent Acquisition, Enforcement, and Licensing Strategies

Howard L. Lim, Associate, Intellectual Property, Vinson & Elkins LLP

TABLE 6: Voluntary or Mandatory or Someplace in Between…What Do I Really Have to Do to Ship My Small Li-Ion Battery Globally?

Cynthia Millsaps, President and CEO, Energy Assurance LLC

TABLE 7: Lithium Battery Transportation Regulations; What Are Hurdles, Research and Development Areas?

Steve Hwang, Ph.D., Chemist, Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety, US Department of Transportation

TABLE 8: Lithium Battery Transportation; What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You, How to Stay Ahead of the Curve and Be Successful

Thomas (TJ) Leech, III, CHMM, FedEx Express

TABLE 9: Promoting a Strong U.S. Manufacturing Base for Energy Storage in the U.S.

Susan Babinec, Senior Commercialization Advisor, ARPA-E, U.S. Department of Energy

TABLE 10: Thermal Runaway Propagation Prevention and Mitigation Through Passive Vaporizing Heat Sink

Michael Mo, Co-Founder & CEO, KULR Technology

TABLE 11: Silicon Anodes and Cells

Frederic Bonhomme, Ph.D., Senior Director, Research & Engineering, Enevate

6:35 Welcome Reception in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing 

7:30 Close of Day

Wednesday, March 22

8:00 am Registration and Morning Coffee

Advances in Cell Manufacturing (Cont.)

8:20 Chairperson’s Remarks

Henry Mao, Ph.D., CEO, Youlion Battery Ltd., China

8:25 What Are the Economies of Scale to Be Expected When Growing 10X?

Kurt Vandeputte, Vice President, Rechargeable Battery Materials Business Unit, Umicore

We see the Li-ion battery industry going through unseen change in terms of volume expectations and price target setting. Combining these two aspects is extremely challenging in an environment where supply can never be interrupted. In this presentation we take a closer look at how these challenges can be met and what the practical benefits would be for the industry.

8:55 Cell Finishing - The Underestimated Cost and Performance Factor

Raf Goossens, Ph.D., CEO, Global Corporate Management, PEC

The cell finishing process is the most costly and critical process during cell manufacturing. The forming of a homogeneous Solid Electrolyte Interface (SEI) is key for the future cell performance and cycle life but often underestimated. The upcoming new silicone based electrodes make the process even more challenging and critical. Besides these technical challenges, we should never forget that cell finishing includes the most risk-sensitive processes, and many disastrous accidents with severe fires and plants burning down have happened already.

9:25 Coffee Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

Supply Chain Sustainability

10:10 Lithium-Ion Battery Raw Material Supply and Demand 2015 – 2025

Christophe Pillot, Ph.D., Battery Survey Manager, Avicenne Energy, France

This presentation includes cathode, anode, electrolyte and separator demand. It will examine the major component suppliers and include a discussion on price evolution and major technical trends.

10:40 Sustainable Supply Chain for Sustainable Manufacturing

Shailesh Upreti, Ph.D., President, C4v; Center of Excellence, SUNY Binghamton

Green products demand an overall net greener footprint when it comes to manufacturing and commercializing Li-ion storage technologies. There are many elements in raw material supply chain that make Li-ion manufacturing a bit concerning from toxic or emission point of view and my talk will highlight some of such topics and the work I have been doing in bringing innovation from other areas to Li-ion supply chain.

11:10 Luncheon Presentation (Sponsorship Opportunity Available) or Enjoy Lunch on Your Own

Plenary Keynote Program

12:40 pm Opening Remarks

12:45 Battery Innovator Award

12:55 Gigafactory Material Sourcing and Cell Production

Kurt Kelty, Senior Director, Cell Supply Chain & Business Development, Tesla Motors

This presentation will examine the status on material sourcing and sustainable material sourcing for the Gigafactory. In addition, the production of cells for energy products manufactured at the Gigafactory including the Powerwall and Powerpack will be discussed.

1:25 Surprising Chemistry in Li-Ion Cells

Jeff Dahn, Ph.D., FRSC, Professor of Physics and Atmospheric Science, NSERC/Tesla Canada Industrial Research Chair, and Canada Research Chair, Dalhousie University

It is important to increase the operating voltage of NMC Li-ion cells to obtain higher energy density. However, the electrolyte reacts with the positive electrode at high voltage. Using simple experiments involving only pouch bags, we show that the products of these reactions are extremely harmful to the positive electrode. This talk demonstrates how these harmful reactions at the positive electrode can be virtually stopped, leading to superb NMC Li-ion cells that can operate at high potential.

1:55 Advances within the BYD EDV Program and Its Technology

Xi Shen, Ph.D., Senior Director and General Manager, BYD EDV Batteries, China

WenFeng Jiang, Ph.D., R&D General Manager, BYD EDV Batteries, China

The high demand EDV for transportation worldwide has created significant market opportunities for BYD. Since the earlier F3DM and E6, BYD has broadly expanded its EDV business and technology to various fields including public transportation (e6 and E-bus), private transportation (Qin, Tang, etc.) and special transportation (forklift, city logistics vehicle, city cleaning vehicle, etc.) This talk shares the progress of the EDV program.

2:25 Charging Forward: Explosive Global Growth in the Battery Industry – Opportunities and Challenges Ahead

Christina Lampe-Onnerud, Ph.D., CEO, Founder, Chairman, Cadenza Innovation, LLC; Founder, Boston Power

This talk will highlight insights on the emerging global ecosystem that is rapidly developing complex systems and opening doors to innovators who are teaming up with established battery and non–battery players. The presentation will inspire the audience to stay true to data and yet push the design envelope for high performance, low cost, safe energy storage solutions.

2:45 Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

3:30 End of Conference