EAS is driven by a clear ambition: not only to explore new battery technologies, but to implement them swiftly and pragmatically under real production conditions. Two current developments illustrate how EAS, together with strong partners, is actively testing practical and scalable manufacturing solutions: participation in the large scale SIB:DE project focused on sodium ion battery technology, and the BMFTR funded InMicroBatt project, which targets the energy efficient design of moisture sensitive process steps. Both initiatives aim to reduce production costs, enhance cell performance, and strategically expand the company’s technological and performance portfolio for the future.
EAS aims to test technologies at an early stage in real production environments and transparently assess their industrial feasibility. This includes new equipment concepts that influence energy demand and process stability, as well as material innovations that can enhance performance. In both cases, practical relevance, scalability, and production benefits take priority: new technologies must not only function technically, but also unlock efficiency potential, reduce production costs, and broaden the product portfolio over time. While SIB:DE ENTWICKLUNG lays the scientific and industrial foundation for a sustainable, geopolitically independent sodium ion technology, InMicroBatt advances the optimization of existing production conditions and opens new paths for energy efficient manufacturing environments. Both projects underscore EAS’s ambition not only to accompany innovations, but to actively shape them and transfer them early into industrial reality.
#InMicroBatt – Compact microenvironments for electrolyte filling
In the InMicroBatt project, EAS, together with Exentec and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, is investigating how particularly moisture sensitive process steps — such as electrolyte filling — can be carried out locally in a mini dry room. The motivation stems from the fact that the production of lithium ion battery cells requires a significant amount of resources and energy. In addition to high material costs, the complex production process — with up to 25 sequential steps from material preparation to the finished cell — poses a major challenge.
A key quality factor in cell production, especially in cell assembly, is the prevention of moisture intrusion, as even small amounts of water can trigger undesirable chemical reactions with cell components, particularly the electrolyte. These reactions can cause gas formation, capacity losses, accelerated aging, and potential safety risks due to gas release. To avoid these effects, large dry room environments with strictly controlled humidity are currently operated — but at considerable financial and ecological cost.
Instead of keeping entire hall volumes permanently dry, the project conditions only the relevant process zones using microclimate control. The goal is to significantly reduce energy consumption, infrastructure requirements, and susceptibility to faults. Within the project, EAS focuses on integrating and testing a microenvironment at the existing filling system. After producing reference cells in the conventional dry room, the complete filling process will be replicated in the new mini dry room, and the resulting cells will be compared regarding quality, process stability, and reproducibility. In parallel, a material flow and airlock concept is being developed that controls climatic transitions and enables efficient interaction with the production line. The validation will provide EAS with a robust basis for assessing under which conditions microenvironments may become an economically and energetically advantageous alternative to traditional dry rooms, and which production processes are suitable for this.
The InMicroBatt project (funding reference 03XP0542) is funded by the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space. EAS will receive approx. €111,000 for the period from April 2026 to May 2027.
#SIB:DE - Important BMFTR project on sodium ion battery cell production in Germany has begun
Another ambitious project involving EAS also started at the beginning of the month. With the SIB:DE ENTWICKLUNG (Development) funding project, the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space has launched Germany’s largest consortium to date dedicated to sodium ion battery technology. A total of 25 industry and research partners are working together to develop a sustainable, safe, and cost effective alternative to established lithium ion technologies. EAS is part of this strong alliance and contributes its decades of expertise in manufacturing large format cylindrical cells.
Sodium ion batteries are considered especially promising because sodium, unlike lithium, nickel, or cobalt, is abundantly available worldwide, inexpensive, and geopolitically far less critical.
As such, they can help strengthen Europe’s technological sovereignty. Within the project, the focus lies on developing large format, market ready sodium ion cells and investigating their recyclability. This dual approach aims to significantly accelerate the transition from research to industrial application.
The consortium is coordinated by EDAG Production Solutions. The close integration of scientific and industrial partners creates a highly capable structure that spans from materials science fundamentals to manufacturing and circular economy strategies.
The project runs from March 2026 to February 2029 and is funded with a total of €14.5 million (funding reference: 03XPB028). For EAS, participation offers the opportunity to contribute early to a key future technology and actively shape industrial production requirements.