The province of North Brabant is investing €1.25 million in the establishment of a national battery facility. The Open Battery Industrialisation Centre (OBIC) will be the first Dutch facility where companies can test and scale up their battery technology towards industrial production. This gives Brabant a key position in the European energy transition.

Over the past years, the province of North Brabant has invested more than €5.5 million in developing battery technology. Together with the Brabant Development Agency (BOM), Brainport Eindhoven, TNO at Holst Centre, industry associations, and various industrial partners including VDL-ETS as a partner of OBIC, the province focuses on developing a strong ecosystem.

Scaling Up

Scaling up is essential, says Martijn van Gruijthuijsen, Deputy for Economy, Knowledge and Talent Development. Many companies develop battery components but lack the opportunity to demonstrate performance, reliability, and safety in large-scale produced cells. OBIC offers the facilities and expertise to convincingly prove this and thus accelerate industrialization.

Advantage

New battery cells are tested for performance and lifespan in the facility. Production processes are also optimized for consistent quality, building essential production and integration knowledge. It accelerates the industrialization of innovations that give us a technological advantage and strengthens the competitiveness of the Netherlands and Europe in a market currently dominated by Asian players, says Van Gruijthuijsen.

Key

Batteries are crucial for electric transport and grid stabilization. They enable storing sustainable energy from sun and wind for later use and help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. The arrival of OBIC aligns with the Energy Perspective 2050, where energy storage is an indispensable building block for a reliable and future-proof energy system.

Crucial

The facility enables faster testing and scaling of new battery technology. Storage is crucial for the success of the energy transition. With this national facility, we can develop and apply innovations faster, says Bas Maes, Deputy for Energy and Climate. Moreover, local production of battery components or cells creates high-quality employment in a rapidly growing sector.

Collaboration

A total of over €12.2 million is available from the National Growth Fund, an investment program of the government. This application was approved in November last year. Implementation is carried out via the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. In collaboration with Battery Competence Cluster NL, work is underway to further develop OBIC into a strategic hub of national importance for startups, industry, and knowledge institutions.

Location

OBIC is located at the Automotive Campus, which plays a strategic role within the Brabant mobility and innovation system. The campus focuses on innovation, including solutions for social and technological challenges such as electrification, decarbonization, digitalization, safety, and sustainability.