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To strengthen Europe’s autonomy, competitiveness, and sustainability, there is a growing need for cost-efficient, safe, and sustainable batteries that can be rapidly deployed into mobility systems. At the same time, Europe’s battery ambitions are hindered by four key challenges: limited access to critical raw materials, high costs, fragmented / non-European supply chains, and long development timelines. The EU-funded project OLiMPUS builds on knowledge from previous battery research and aims to address these challenges. The consortium consists of eight research organizations and eight leading industrial partners, well covering the European battery value chain
OLiMPUS will develop new lithium-ion LMFP||graphite battery cells. Electrodes will be manufactured using two methods: a water-based process without the toxic organic solvent NMP, and a quasi-dry process that reduces the need for energy-intensive drying steps. The project will also explore the use of ionic liquids in electrolytes to reduce fire risk. In parallel, the development of materials, electrode design, and manufacturing processes will take place in parallel, following a “design-to-cost” and “safe-and-sustainable-by-design” (SSbD) approach.
Over the course of the project, OLiMPUS aims to produce a total of 132 automotive-grade cells in pouch and prismatic formats, with capacities ranging from 10–80 Ah. Through three pilot lines, the project will demonstrate production readiness, robustness, and compatibility with European manufacturing facilities.
By 2032, the project aims to enable mass production of the new materials, cells, battery packs, and EV systems in Europe. It also aims to strengthen European battery value chains and reduce CO₂ emissions by approximately 1.8 million tons of CO₂ equivalents by 2050.