Volkswagen considers sourcing solid-state batteries from Blue Solutions
This was reported by Reuters, citing an insider. The collaboration could therefore become official “in the coming months”. Volkswagen declined to comment on the rumors to the news agency. However, a Blue Solutions spokesperson confirmed that the company is working on a battery for passenger cars and said that it had signed development contracts with BMW and another company and was negotiating with a third. The spokesperson also told Reuters that Blue Solutions is working on a car battery with a charging time of 20 minutes and wants to build a “gigafactory” for it by 2029.
The solid-state battery manufacturer, which is part of the French Bolloré Group, has a wealth of experience in the field of solid-state batteries. The French company’s research in this field dates back to the 1980s. Blue Solutions is currently the world’s only manufacturer of commercialized solid-state cells, modules and packs and has production facilities in France and Canada. The Bolloré subsidiary, based in Ergué-Gabéric, manufactures solid-state batteries based on a patented lithium metal polymer technology. We published a detailed interview about this approach some time ago – at the time with the now retired Jean-Luc Monfort, the predecessor of the current Blue Solutions boss Richard Bouveret.
In the interview at the time, Monfort said that the next goal was to further develop the technology for applications in the passenger car industry. “Cars are less demanding in terms of battery life cycle than buses or energy storage systems. So we want to tackle this market. We know that we won’t be alone in this market, so we are open to collaborations and partnerships inside Europe for that purpose,” Monfort said at the time. “We are participating in the global movement and we think as we are the most experienced solid-state battery manufacturer we will be among the ones capable to provide the next generation to the market. If the Europe industry wants to be successful in solid-state technology, we believe that cooperation and development on the European level will be necessary.”
Joining forces with the German automotive giant Volkswagen fits into this picture. However, the Wolfsburg-based company has been cooperating with QuantumScape on solid-state batteries. Only recently, Volkswagen’s battery subsidiary PowerCo confirmed progress in the development of solid-state battery cells from its US partner following tests in its own laboratories. However, according to Reuters, commercialization is lagging behind the original schedule. Volkswagen is the main shareholder of QuantumScape and signed a development cooperation agreement with the US company back in 2018. However, former targets such as the integration of the technology in electric cars from 2025 are no longer realistic.
Meanwhile, Blue Solutions is expanding its customer and partner network. As reported, the French company counts Daimler Bus among its customers, who offer the solid-state battery as an option in the Mercedes eCitaro. The company also has partnerships with Li-Metal, a Canadian developer of lithium metal anodes, the French battery manufacturer Forsee Power and the Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn.
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