- The first Slovak battery production line was put into operation in Voderady this week. The start of production is planned for the end of the Q1 of next year
- Line installation was performed in 4 months by a team of experts from InoBat and Wuxi Lead
- In the first phase, the line will be operated by 41 InoBat operators, ensuring 24/7 operation of the battery formation and aging processes.
The Slovak company InoBat has launched the first battery cell production line in Slovakia. It is situated right next to the research & development laboratories in Voderady.
The maximum installed capacity of the line equals 50,000 battery cells produced annually. It was tailor-made for InoBat by Wuxi Lead, a globally recognized producer of battery manufacturing equipment. As part of the construction planning and technological provision of production, InoBat collaborated with TAKENAKA, which is also among the leading experts in this field. This accomplishment marks a significant milestone in the transformation of a brownfield site into a commercially operational facility for the entire country.
The launch event was attended by the company’s strategic partners, investors, clients, government officials, and development partners.
Kamil Šaško, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic, also attended the ceremonial launch. “The Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic sees the automotive industry as one of the fundamental pillars of our economy, and it is necessary to ensure its competitiveness in a changing environment. It is also essential to attract talents to our country and transform our labor market. Other priorities include research and development in areas where we, as a country, lag behind, as well as investments in research, development, and innovation. If all of this can be encompassed under the label ‘Made in Slovakia,’ we should be proud of it. And it seems that InoBat embodies all of these aspects.”
The production line consists of 35 machines, covering the entire production process from preparing anode and cathode mixtures to final formation and aging, utilizing the latest high-speed layering technology. The transfer of the line from China to Slovakia, as well as its installation and commissioning, was a demanding logistical process.
The line covered a distance of 24 169 kilometres. It travelled to Slovakia for 8 weeks in 44 shipping containers and its total weight was 308 tonnes, requiring 4 months to fully instal it. The process was successfully done by InoBat team and 60 experts and engineers from Wuxi Lead. In the current first phase, the line will be operated by 41 operators from InoBat. 20 of them will work in shifts to ensure 24/7 operation of the battery formation and aging.
“Every dream begins with a vision. InoBat’s vision started with a sketch on a napkin and an idea to put Slovakia on the world map of electromobility. We are very happy that the idea on a napkin quickly turned into a complete project, on which we started working with partners from all over the world. Together, we were able to create the first Slovakian batteries,” says Marián Boček, CEO of InoBat.
A year ago the company already started to actively generate the first revenues thanks to its first customer Lilium, a German company that is creating a sustainable and accessible mode of high-speed regional transport for people and goods with their revolutionary all- electric Lilium Jet.
Pilot production of the first Slovakian batteries in Voderady is scheduled for the Q1 of 2024.
About InoBat
InoBat specialises in pioneering research, development, design, manufacturing, supply and recycling of innovative electric batteries custom-designed to meet the specific scope and requirements of global mainstream and specialist OEMs and energy sector participants. InoBat’s sector focus is on the automotive, commercial vehicle, motorsport, and aerospace sectors. InoBat provides innovative solutions across the entire value chain thanks to its “C2C” circular value-chain InoBat is backed by a strong consortium of strategic investors and partners such as Rio Tinto, Gotion, Amara Raja, and the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Bank, and it original sponsors the IPM Group, Avanea and Across. InoBat achieved R&D grant financing under the EU sponsored programme, Important Projects for Common European Interest (IPCEI), and additional support from the Slovak Government.
