InoBat begins making battery cells in Slovakia
Staying with the pilot line, the new facility was tailor-made for InoBat by Wuxi Lead from China. The line comprises 35 machines, covering the entire production process from preparing anode and cathode mixtures to final formation and ageing, utilising 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,” writes InoBat. Indeed, the parts had to travel 24,169 kilometres in 44 shipping containers over eight weeks. It took another four months to install it.
Now, 41 operators from InoBat will work in shifts to ensure 24/7 operation and manufacture.
“InoBat’s vision started with a sketch on a napkin and an idea to put Slovakia on the world map of electromobility,” said Marián Boček, CEO of InoBat, as he launched the pilot line this week. “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.”
Apart from Wuxi Lead, the company reportedly teamed up with Volkswagen partner Gotion High-Tech to build a Slovak battery cell factory with an annual capacity of 20 gigawatt-hours through a joint venture called Gotion InoBat Batteries (GIB). The business could double its capacity to 40 GWh. Production is scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2026, and series production in 2027. The large plant is also located right next to the research & development laboratories in Voderady.
As a side note, Lead is also a partner to Volkswagen when it comes to equipping battery factories starting with the Salzgitter plant, as reported.
Independently of the GIB factory, InoBat is planning a 100 MWh pilot production facility in Voderady and a 10 GWh factory in 2024.
InoBat’s first client is the VTOL startup Lilium from Germany.
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