The mobility of the future demands innovative solutions, now more than ever. The transition to electromobility offers enormous potential, but also poses complex challenges. How can batteries be produced more sustainably, used more efficiently and recycled properly at the end of their service life? This is precisely where Festo and Comau come in, as their pioneering automation solutions contribute to a circular economy that saves resources. This is not just an empty statement, as you will find out here.
With 50 years of experience and a global presence, Comau, a Stellantis Group company, is a world leader in advanced and sustainable automation solutions.
"In addition to developing innovative and user-friendly technologies, we offer a portfolio that includes products and systems for vehicle production as well as advanced digital and robotic solutions. This enables us to meet the production needs of fast-growing markets such as logistics, renewable energy and shipbuilding," says Francesco Beccarisi, Innovation & Process Technologies at Comau. The market for electromobility is experiencing sustained growth. "Although lithium-ion batteries will remain the dominant technology in the automotive sector for the next 5 - 10 years, the market will see a significant increase in demand for next-generation batteries, such as solid-state batteries."
New technologies and more efficient, sustainable and cost-effective manufacturing processes are needed to support the large-scale industrial production of next-generation batteries and accelerate the energy transition.
"E-mobility and the significant investments made in recent years mark the beginning of the evolution of transport," explains Claudio Giovando, Global Key Account Manager of the Automotive & Electric Vehicles Business Developer at Festo. "In addition to solutions for manufacturing cells, battery modules and electric motors, Festo has been interested from the outset in closing the production cycle of the batteries themselves in order to reduce waste and promote the reuse of materials. This will help to reduce the extraction of rare and finite raw materials that would otherwise not be able to meet the demand of this fast-growing market."
The energy and environmental transition in the transport sector is becoming a reality. "The European Commission has adopted the Fit for 55 legislative package, in line with the European Union's targets, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles by 55% by 2030 and 100% by 2050," confirms F. Beccarisi. "That means electrification is the future of mobility."
The requirement for more efficient and sustainable production of batteries and electric motors is undoubtedly one of the most important challenges facing businesses operating at various stages of the automotive and transport industry. "For the energy transition to be truly sustainable, it is not just the production of state-of-the-art electrification technologies that must be efficient, but the environmental impact at the end of the service life of the battery must be considered too," explains F. Beccarisi. That is why Comau has joined the "Battery Regeneration Project", which is supported by non-profit organisation Class and Cobat, a platform for circular economy services. The aim is to create an Italian supply chain for recycling and reusing lithium batteries.
The innovative automation solutions from Festo optimise efficiency, reduce downtime and future-proof your processes.
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