CIDETEC Energy Storage drives the development of solid-state batteries to advance electric aviation

ELEVATE is a nearly €9 million project aimed at strengthening European leadership in aviation through scalable, sustainable and high-performance energy storage systems

Electrification is advancing rapidly across the transport sector and is progressively reaching new areas. Following its consolidation in ground mobility, aviation is also beginning to take steps towards electrification, a particularly demanding challenge that requires energy storage systems capable of combining high energy density, safety, sustainability and large-scale manufacturing potential.

In this context, CIDETEC Energy Storage is participating in ELEVATE (Electrified Aviation with Dry-Coated Electrodes for High-Energy Solid-State Batteries), a new European research project aimed at developing solid-state batteries to contribute to the electrification of aviation.

Led by UniverCell Holding and with a total budget of nearly €9 million, ELEVATE brings together an industrial and scientific consortium that will work over the next three years to overcome the current limitations of energy storage technologies and develop high-performance solutions for one of the most demanding sectors in terms of energy density and safety.

The project aims to develop a quasi-solid-state cell with an energy density of 400 Wh/kg by integrating advanced materials into existing 21700 cylindrical cells, with a view to facilitating industrial adoption. To achieve this, ELEVATE will focus on two key manufacturing processes: solvent-free dry mixing and coating of electrodes, and the in situ polymerisation of quasi-solid-state electrolytes.

ELEVATE thus aims to position Europe as a leader in the global race to develop scalable, sustainable and high-performance energy storage systems capable of meeting the needs of future applications in the aviation sector.

For CIDETEC Energy Storage, this represents another step forward in the development of solid-state batteries, an area in which the centre has been working for 10 years. Within the project, CIDETEC will lead four tasks related to the development, characterisation and validation of solid electrolytes for 21700-format lithium-ion prototype cells. It will also develop electrolyte manufacturing models that will contribute to process optimisation and comparative assessment, and will carry out the technical coordination of the project, which is funded by the European Union.