Battery technology is the foundational element of electric vehicles (EVs), influencing their efficiency, range, charging speed, lifespan, cost, and overall performance. Engineering firm Bosch Rexroth is well aware of how battery manufacturing affects every one of these factors. It believes innovations in battery technology and advanced manufacturing processes are essential for the widespread adoption and the continuous success of the EV industry.

The company recently opened a new Battery Customer Innovation Center (CIC) in Farmington Hills, Michigan, which is a collaborative laboratory and learning space. The CIC offers a unique, immersive experience where customers can interact with and learn about current and future innovations to move their manufacturing operations forward.

Mark Ziencina, Battery & EV Vertical Leader with Bosch Rexroth shares more about the new CIC’s purpose, including his thoughts on the future of battery manufacturing and the EV industry in this Q&A.

Q: Where do you see the electric vehicle (EV) industry in the next few years?
A: The EV industry is undergoing an adjustment period driven by the current market forces and customer sentiments. The explosive growth in EV adoption in recent years has been tempered by reduced consumer optimism and the uncertainties of an election year — with the possibility of reduced government incentives for battery and EV products and manufacturing. We expect geopolitical factors to dampen demand this and next year.

Range anxiety and insufficient charging infrastructure continue to be on the minds of potential EV buyers, who continue to show a preference for HEVs and PHEVs. Not surprisingly, the Big 3 are doubling down on their hybrid vehicles while revisiting their EV vehicle offerings.

However, the future looks bright for EVs as advancements in battery chemistries and manufacturing methods are expected to result in a longer driving range, faster charging, lower vehicle cost, and greater adoption.

The US population does not like to be told what to do, nor what to drive. The decision to switch to all-electric will be a conscious one, especially if it’s more economical and better for the environment. We expect grid infrastructure modernization and charging ubiquity to alleviate the challenges previously mentioned.

Ten years is a long time. Full autonomy is expected to take over the taxi and rideshare applications. Meanwhile, hydrogen fuel cells and smaller batteries are expected to replace diesel engines in a wide range of heavy vehicle applications.

Q: What advances in EV and battery technology do you believe will have the most significant impact on the industry, and why?
A: Battery chemistries that use more commonly available materials will continue to drive EV prices down. Addressing the electrode degradation topic that currently limits battery life is next on the list. Solid and semi-solid electrolytes will continue to play an increasing role while LFP [lithium-iron phosphate] chemistry makes packs safer and cheaper.

Increasing volumetric energy densities while reducing battery weight and cost will allow EV manufacturers to increase battery pack energy storage by simply increasing the number of cells. The cell-to-pack battery architecture is the first step to making packs lighter and more energy-dense.

Q: What are some things people get wrong about EVs?
A: Vehicle manufacturers and buyers are often obsessed with the acceleration and speed of EVs. You see this in commercials and the race for the fastest EV. It happens with nearly every passenger vehicle out there. This can result in consumers forgetting that all that adventure comes with new tire costs and reduced range penalties. Most drivers do not need a 2t truck that goes from 0-60 in four seconds. Range and charging times should be at the top of the decision matrix.

Q: What challenges are affecting the EV and battery industry in terms of greater adoption, and are there any ideal solutions?
A: In the short term, the industry faces the challenges of EV range, charging time, charging infrastructure, limited vehicle choices, high prices, and a fatigued consumer. But we expect these to work themselves out with technology advancements and grid modernization. The last point will require government assistance — just as with any major infrastructure project, whether highways, dams, or rail.

Q: Can you speak about the benefits of automation for EV and battery manufacturing?
A: Very few line builders worldwide offer turn-key cell production lines, from mixing raw materials to testing and sorting cells coming out at the other end of the factory. This has to change. We need domestic equipment builders to master the art of cell production.

There’s also a need to collect and share in-situ cell quality and test data throughout the entire value stream to correlate the quality of completed cells to all the process levers upstream and even environmental factors throughout the production process.

Additionally, there are still several manual processes in the assembly of battery packs — such as installations of wire harnesses, bus bars, and cooling tubes. The challenge for battery design engineers, cobot, and end-of-arm tooling manufacturers is to work together to design packs that can be assembled in lights-out operation.

Q: Why does factory automation matter?
A: Factory automation enables the continually increasing standard of living in the developed world. Most of what we eat, drink, and have in our homes, medicine cabinets, offices, sheds, and garages was made in a factory. Factory Automation allows those goods to be made cost-competitively and in the enormous volumes required by the planet’s population. Without Factory Automation, we would still be in the Renaissance, buying goods made by hand.

Q: How do you see factory automation advancing?
A: We continue to see consolidation in the factory automation space, where large national distributors buy out smaller ones, and machine builders merge or are bundled together in PE deals and then sold to multi-national corporations.

Software, connectivity, and interoperability are key in the short term, while AI will drive advancements in all manufacturing operations. Increased line speeds, shorter tact times, and flexibility are the current topics in manufacturing operations. Solutions such as magnetically propelled transfer systems enable the above.

In the long term, we expect the Factory of the Future (FoF) to become the standard, facilitating flexible line arrangements, easily reconfigurable, and capable of easy process upgrades. Additionally, we expect the planar 6D transport solutions to become mature and ubiquitous in the FoF.

Q: What do people misunderstand about factory automation?
A: Customers typically plan on dedicated lines, equipment, and transport systems for a small variety of products and an annual production volume. As we know, and see in practice with new technologies and products, there’s an adoption curve starting at lower volumes over two to three years. Scaling and repurposing flexible automation lowers the initial CAPEX while providing the runway to scale. This is especially important to start-ups and smaller manufacturers with a longer list of customers and a greater variety of products to build.

Q: Can you please provide an overview of the new Innovation Center’s services specific to EVs?
A: The Battery/EV Customer Innovation Center was purposely located in the Detroit Metro to serve as a technology demonstration space for automotive customers. In addition to allowing customers to see our latest products and solutions first-hand, it also serves as a collaboration hub for our application engineering teams from our drives and controls, tightening, resistance welding, and material transfer teams.

In our tightening lab, customers can test the broad product offering, and our engineers can simulate customer applications. Similarly, our welding team can run weld tests with customer materials and provide a rich data set back to the customer. We encourage our customers to visit us to discuss their manufacturing challenges and to collaborate with our multi-technology teams. Lastly, we offer product training and have our service engineers located here.

We want to push the boundaries of what’s possible in manufacturing and show this to our customers in live demonstrations rather than a PowerPoint. The long-term plan is to continue to invest in adding the latest products and technologies to our demo space and labs to always be on the cutting edge of manufacturing. I envision our footprint and staff to grow in the Center proportionally with the continued 30% expected CAGR of battery and EV manufacturing.

Q: How do you envision the Innovation Center impacting the overall EV and battery sector in the long term?
A: The Innovation Center is a part of the greater global Rexroth Battery Center of Competence, where all of our experts in the field of batteries and their manufacturing work tirelessly to continue to address and find solutions to the challenges of battery manufacturing. We do not wait for customers to come to us with their problems.

Instead, we are constantly looking for better, more efficient ways to produce batteries from cells to pack assembly and test the end-of-line recycling. This topic is often an afterthought but must be considered at the battery design level.

The new Michigan Innovation Center is not the only one. Bosch Rexroth offers several facilities where customers can ask questions, collaborate, and learn about the latest advancements in factory automation solutions. Click here to learn more.