The Fraunhofer ISE , the Fraunhofer EMI and the technology association VDE are establishing a competence center for batteries and storage systems in Freiburg. The facility will conduct market-oriented research and development with a focus on stationary storage systems, electromobility and portable applications. The facility’s portfolio will also include vehicle battery destruction and crash tests. In addition to physical security, the researchers are also planning to address the aspect of data security for battery and storage systems.

There are also plans to build a research pilot production plant according to Industry 4.0 standards at Varta Microbattery in Ellwangen. Baden-Wuerttemberg has used this project to apply for the “ Digitized Battery Cells Production 4.0 ” program and expects federal government funding of 50 million euros , while the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg itself wants to contribute 8 million. The Fraunhofer Society and the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW) in Ulm are involved in the project.