InoBat launches first battery line in Slovakia

January 10, 2024

InoBat, a Slovak company specializing in the research, development, design, manufacturing, supply, and recycling of innovative electric batteries, has launched the first battery cell production line in Slovakia. The production line, located in Voderady, is set to begin operations by the end of Q1 this year. The line installation was completed in four months by a team of experts from InoBat and Wuxi Lead, a globally recognized producer of battery manufacturing equipment.

The production line has a maximum installed capacity of 50,000 battery cells per year. InoBat also collaborated with TAKENAKA, a leading expert in construction planning and technological provision of production, to transform a brownfield site into a commercially operational facility.

The line consists of 35 machines, covering the entire process from preparing anode and cathode mixtures to final formation and aging, utilizing the latest high-speed layering technology. The line was transported from China to Slovakia, covering a distance of 24,169 kilometres. It took eight weeks to transport the line in 44 shipping containers, with a total weight of 308 tonnes. The installation process required four months and was completed by the InoBat team and 60 experts and engineers from Wuxi Lead.

In the first phase, the line will be operated by 41 InoBat operators, with 20 of them working in shifts to ensure 24/7 operation of the battery formation and aging processes. The company has already started generating revenue thanks to its first customer, Lilium, a German company that is creating a sustainable and accessible mode of high-speed regional transport for people and goods with their all-electric Lilium Jet.

InoBat is backed by a strong consortium of strategic investors and partners such as Rio Tinto, Gotion, Amara Raja, and the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Bank, and its original sponsors the IPM Group, Avanea and Across. The company has also received R&D grant financing under the EU sponsored programme, Important Projects for Common European Interest (IPCEI), and additional support from the Slovak Government.

Kamil Šaško, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic, attended the launch event and stated, “The Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic sees the automotive industry as one of the fundamental pillars of our economy, and it is necessary to ensure its competitiveness in a changing environment. It is also essential to attract talents to our country and transform our labor market. Other priorities include research and development in areas where we, as a country, lag behind, as well as investments in research, development, and innovation. If all of this can be encompassed under the label ‘Made in Slovakia,’ we should be proud of it. And it seems that InoBat embodies all of these aspects.”

Marián Boček, CEO of InoBat, also commented on the launch, “Every dream begins with a vision. InoBat’s vision started with a sketch on a napkin and an idea to put Slovakia on the world map of electromobility. We are very happy that the idea on a napkin quickly turned into a complete project, on which we started working with partners from all over the world. Together, we were able to create the first Slovakian batteries.”