InoBat starts battery cell production in Slovakia
InoBat’s pilot line, which was inaugurated at the end of 2023, will initially be able to produce up to 50,000 cells per year. The equipment for the production line comes from the Chinese company Wuxi Lead, which also supplies Volkswagen. The company has now received all the necessary certifications and trained its employees so that production of the first high-performance cells can begin, reports InoBat.
“We not only manufacture batteries but also design and tailor them to meet each customer’s needs. This process requires exceptional knowledge and specialised skills, and I am proud that we have developed it in Slovakia,” says InoBat CEO Marián Boček. Preparing for production required careful adaptation of the technological processes and ensuring a sufficient supply of qualified personnel.
According to earlier information, the line that has now been connected to the grid consists of 35 machines that cover the process from the preparation of the anode and cathode mixtures to the final formation. Its commissioning is just the beginning: with Volkswagen partner Gotion High-Tech, InoBat is planning a large battery cell factory in Šurany, Slovakia.
It will have an annual capacity of 20 gigawatt hours, which can potentially be doubled to 40 GWh. Production is scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2026, and series production in 2027. The factory is expected to employ ‘more than 1,500 people.’
According to the Slovakian-Chinese alliance, Gotion InoBat Batteries (GIB) will start building the factory this year. The Slovakian government will grant subsidies, provide the 65-hectare site for the factory, prepare the building plot, and ensure the connection to the power grid. This information dates from January; InoBat does not comment on whether the timetable will be maintained in view of the current weakening demand for EVs in its latest press release.
The Slovakian company’s fundamental aim is to supply customers with customised battery cells for their intended use – the company aims to find the right cell chemistry for each application using high-throughput screening (a method used in pharmaceutical research) and artificial intelligence. The Slovakian company targets customers from the passenger car, commercial vehicle, motorsport and aerospace sectors as potential customers.
According to Boček, Europe has great potential, a strategically favourable location and a long tradition in the automotive industry. InoBat is evidence that with favourable conditions and incentives for research and development, innovations competitive on a global scale can emerge in Slovakia,” adds Patrick Križanský, Director of the Slovak Association for Electromobility.
InoBat’s strategic investors and partners include Rio Tinto, Gotion, Amara Raja, Lilium, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Slovak Investment Holding (SIH) and original backers IPM Group, Avanea and Across. In addition, InoBat has received or is receiving subsidies from several EU funding programmes and the Slovakian government.
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