Batteries are a cornerstone of the energy transition and a strategic industrial technology worldwide. CSEM the Swiss technology innovation center, has opened an industry‑accessible battery dry room at its Battery Innovation Hub in Neuchâtel. The facility gives companies, start‑ups, and small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) access to industrial‑grade conditions for developing next‑generation battery cells. This capability is increasingly important as innovation, competitiveness, and value creation depend on mastering the battery cell itself. Access to this kind of infrastructure remains concentrated abroad and within a small number of large industrial players.
A key capability for next‑generation batteries
Advanced battery technologies increasingly rely on materials that are extremely sensitive to moisture, including lithium metal. CSEM’s dry room operates at a dew point of around −50°C or lower, enabling these materials to be processed under conditions that reflect industrial production requirements.
Covering around 37 square meters, the facility is equipped with a pilot production line for pouch cells up to 5 Ah, a widely used cell format in smartphones and electric vehicles. This allows new cell concepts to move from laboratory research to industrially relevant formats.
Andrea Ingenito, Co-Leader CSEM Battery Innovation Hub says, “Batteries are becoming a foundation of the future energy system. Those who master their production will control a central part of the energy transition. With this dry room, we can develop new materials and cell concepts and demonstrate their path towards industrial production.”
Why cell‑level innovation matters
Modern electric vehicles contain thousands of individual battery cells, while consumer electronics rely on only a few. Improvements at the cell level therefore have a direct impact on range, cost, and safety across entire energy systems.
Battery technologies are also becoming a key factor in industrial competitiveness. Batteries already account for around 30 to 40 percent of the cost of an electric vehicle, and their importance continues to grow across mobility, stationary energy storage, and industrial applications.
“The next generation of batteries will shape not only how far electric vehicles can travel, but also how efficiently we store renewable energy and how competitive Switzerland and Europe are in this field,” explains Andreas Hutter, Co-Leader CSEM Battery Innovation Hub.
Strengthening Switzerland in a global battery race
Battery cell production remains highly concentrated globally, with most manufacturing taking place in Asia, while Europe is investing heavily in new industrial capacity. In this context, access to advanced development infrastructure is strategic.
By opening its dry room to industry, start‑ups and SMEs, CSEM helps close a critical gap in Switzerland’s innovation landscape. It gives companies access to advanced development infrastructure that would otherwise be available mainly abroad or within large industrial players.
With the Battery Innovation Hub and its dry room now operational, CSEM is helping strengthen Switzerland’s position in the international race for future battery technologies and is accelerating the transfer of innovation from applied research to industrial application.
Continued regional support
CSEM’s Battery Innovation Hub continues to benefit from strong regional backing including Banque Cantonale Neuchâteloise (BCN) and Service de l’énergie et de l’environnement (SENE). BCN has renewed its support for the next two years, reaffirming its commitment to innovation and industrial development in the region.
Pierre-Alain Leuenberger, CEO of BCN concludes, “CSEM’s Battery Innovation Hub is a powerful example of how research, industry, and regional actors can work together to create long‑term, sustainable value. BCN is proud to continue supporting CSEM in developing Cleantech and giving Swiss companies the tools they need to innovate, contribute to the energy transition, and remain competitive in a fast-moving global landscape.”
- Source : Press Release
- Photo credits : CSEM
