How do we accelerate battery innovation? Claes Winzell is working as Strategic Research and Business Developer at RISE Research Institutes of Sweden. He has long international experience from product and service-based companies as well as comprehensive experience from international project management, business and negotiations. Claes is one of the speakers at Battery Tech for EV 2024 in Gothenburg on November 19-20. We got the opportunity to ask him a few questions prior to the event and he shared his thoughts on battery cell prototype development and how we can bridge the gap between R&D and commercialization.
Could you please introduce yourself and your work at RISE?
After a lifelong career in the international industrial tech industry, I joined RISE 2012 as vice president and general manager of the Measurement Science and Technology Department. The last four years I have been focusing on the industrial battery development and how we create a competitive and sustainable battery industry and eco system in Sweden.
What will you speak about at Battery Tech for EV 2024?
I will speak about how battery test and pilot infrastructure can play an important role to accelerate Sweden as a leading battery nation.
How can we bridge the gap between R&D and commercialization?
First it will help having the mindset that products we develop need to be manufacturable in a sustainable and competitive way. Far too often there are too tight walls between R&D and manufacturing, and we need to be better at designing for manufacturability. This is very true when it comes to batteries.
What are the challenges and opportunities in battery cell prototype development?
The challenges are many on the technical side but understanding how a particular battery design will perform in a mass production environment is a real challenge. When developing prototypes in general it is fairly straight forward building prototypes in a handcraftship mode to verify properties and performance. The real challenges start when you start to produce thousand per hour and getting right quality and performance at the right cost. The opportunities are that we are good in collaboration in general and we do have experience in creating collaborative environments.
How can we increase collaboration to drive innovation?
A test and pilot infrastructure is a great place where industry, academia and institutes can meet and work together. By sharing the investment and commitments making it work you drive innovation by mixing people with different backgrounds, focus and perspectives.
What is the most important thing you would like to share in your presentation?
The opportunity we have in Sweden to become a leading battery nation. Being proactive and build capabilities when the market grows is far easier than trying to catch up later.
What are you most looking forward to by attending and speaking at the conference?
Meeting other battery people with different perspectives and ideas.