Vianode opens battery R&D centre in Norway
Vianode has opened a research and development centre for sustainable battery materials in Norway. The company sees the commissioning of the “Vianode Technology Center” in Kristiansand as an “important step towards establishing a complete battery value chain in Norway for the European market”.
The battery materials subsidiary of Norwegian metal producer Elkem plans to use the centre, called VTC, to expand its research and development activities, including a new office, laboratory and the hiring of more scientists. Currently, 16 employees from nine nations are employed there, according to the statement. By the end of the year, there will already be 20 researchers, and by the end of 2025, 25 full-time positions are planned.
Vianode’s current focus is on graphite-containing anode materials. About 70 kilogrammes of these are used in a modern electric car. With its developments, Vianode wants to achieve that these materials can be produced more cheaply and with lower energy consumption.
Until now, Vianode’s development department has worked in a facility that was still funded by the Norwegian state organisation Future Materials. According to Bridget Deveney, R&D Director at Vianode, this was a good starting point. “Our previous R&D facility was funded by the national catapult arrangement Future Materials and was an excellent starting point for Vianode as we got going, but now that we are a larger company a dedicated facility is needed,” says the R&D director. “The opening of the VTC will be a major boost for the organisation and our work.” The VTC was funded by the company itself, according to the statement.
A month ago, Vianode had announced plans to invest around two billion Norwegian kroner (the equivalent of around €195 million) in an electric car battery materials factory in Norway. “VTC is established next to Vianode’s industrial pilot, only a short drive away from our planned first phase plant at Herøya,” says Stian Madshus, general manager and vice president at Vianode. “This will ensure that industrialisation and R&D go hand in handhand.”
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