Power up: Inside the vehicle battery technology that may change our economy

German automaker Volkswagen plans to bring a new battery manufacturing plant to St. Thomas in 2027 as Southwestern Ontario joins the tide of change sweeping the automotive and manufacturing sector – electric vehicles. The plant will be built on a portion of 600 hectares of land assembled in St. Thomas and is expected to employ anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 when it begins production. But it all rides on the battery, a power system that is changing the industrial landscape in London and region. Let’s take a close look at VW and its battery.

Volkswagen is not saying much about its St. Thomas plant, including the exact type of battery it will make there, but it recently has begun building a battery plant in Valencia, Spain, that will begin production in 2026, employing 3,000.

That plant also has land for a “supplier park” where related industries selling to the battery maker can locate and it even has land for a wind turbine farm to power the plant, according to an article on the industry website electrive.com.

VW has created its own spinoff, PowerCo, to assemble batteries. PowerCo plans battery production not just for its own use but to sell other automakers. Ford has been identified as a possible customer, according to the above-noted report.

Volkswagen has been aggressive in the electric vehicle sector since 2020, when it struck a partnership with Chinese battery maker Gotion High-Tech Ltd., in which VW invested 1.1 billion Euros, according to the publication Inside EVs.

VW plans on launching more than 25 all-electric models through 2030 and is building the ID.4 electric vehicle in Chattanooga, Tenn., which St. Thomas likely supply. It also is building a plant in South Carolina to make the Scout, is searching for another assembly plant in North America and plans on transitioning plants in Mexico to assemble electric vehicles, according to Inside EVs.

Volkswagen will assemble a battery it’s calling the “unified cell.” It will feature different chemistry than other batteries for increased performance, VW officials have said.

The battery powering an electric car is not much different from the battery that runs a cellphone or tablet. It also is not that much bigger.

Vehicle batteries are really a lot of smaller batteries, or cells, either packed together in small tubular form or flat in what is called a pouch. These battery clusters are encased in modules and encased in a metal structure usually installed beneath the vehicle that runs the length of it, for better weight distribution.

Although it is changing rapidly, the lithium-ion battery still is the standard for EV batteries. Lithium-ion can store a lot of power in a small volume and holds power for a long period of time.

This is the science part. Chemistry, to be specific.

With thousands of cells making up an EV battery, each cell is made up of four main parts: an anode, a cathode, a separator, and an electrolyte, which usually is a liquid. To produce electricity, charged atoms or molecules, called ions, move from the anode to the cathode through the electrolyte, releasing their extra electrons.

To charge a battery, electrons flow into the battery and the ions flow back from the cathode to the anode.

The most common minerals that make up battery technology include lithium, cobalt, manganese and nickel.

Batteries are charged by a standard 120-volt or 240-volt outlet. A charging port, whether installed in a home garage or public places, connects the car to an external power source, the electricity grid. The battery powers the electric traction motor that drives the car’s wheels. How long it takes to charge depends on the battery and the charger. It may take several hours for an in-home charger or about a half-hour with a high-speed charger found along major highways.

They are expensive but cost less to maintain. The internal combustion engine is replaced with an electric motor, meaning it does not need gas, oil changes, fuel filters or as much repair. Even brake pads last longer. Most EVs come with extended battery warranty, most covering eight to 10 years.

Lithium-ion batteries are expensive, costing up to $20,000, and have limited range. Vehicles with greater range cost more. That means EVs have found a niche as a second, short-distance vehicle and not as much for long trips, although that is changing as more charging stations dot highways. Several EV-related websites state the average range for an EV is about 340 kilometres.

There also are ethical concerns about a technology supposed to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions that relies on mining, which also has an environmental impact. Ontario mines produce battery minerals and that was a big draw for VW in St. Thomas. Mining in developing nations is linked to child labour, unsafe working conditions and human rights concerns.

Lithium-ion is the standard now, but that may change. Research is ongoing with solid-state batteries, which so far have proved too costly. Still, automakers, including Volkswagen, are researching this and there have been reports Toyota and Nissan want to launch vehicles with solid state technology. There also is talk of “structural batteries” which will see battery technology built into parts of a vehicle.

“It’s good news for the province there is more battery assembly here. Solid state is next-generation. Currently there are no solid-state batteries. It’s in research and development.”: Raj DasGupta, chief executive of Electrovaya, which has been making vehicle batteries, largely for manufacturing use in trucks and forklifts, in Ontario for 26 years.

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“The news around VW is very exciting and Western is very excited for what it brings to the region, its potential. The biggest change in recent years is with lithium-ion, it’s the industry standard for cellphones, computers and now electric vehicle. I’m a fan. It’s new technology that I believe is important in reducing fossil fuel emissions.”: David Muir, associate vice-president of innovation and strategic partnerships at Western University, who also drives an EV.

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“Our giga-factory in Canada sends a strong message: PowerCo is on track to become a global battery player. With the expansion to North America, we will enter a key market for e-mobility and battery cell production, driving forward our global battery strategy at full speed. Canada and Ontario are perfect partners for scaling up our battery business and green economy jobs, as we share the same values ​​of sustainability, responsibility and cooperation.”: Thomas Schmall, chairperson of the supervisory board of PowerCo.

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“Lithium-ion is one of the best when it comes to recharging. Some are cylindrical, slightly bigger than a standard AA battery and there can be thousands of them. There can also be several hundred tablet-sized batteries. They can use different sizes and formats.”: Peter Kovacik, National Research Council officer at the Automotive and Surface Transportation Research Centre.

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