As the battery is a vital component in an EV, the battery industry must deliver supply growth to meet the anticipated demand for electric vehicles. FREYR Battery has developed advanced lithium-ion battery cells for mass production in battery cell facilities in Mo i Rana, Northern Norway. FREYR will pilot a technology for the production of Li-ion battery cells that reduces the number of steps in the production process and eliminates the need for solvents and binders compared to conventional technology. The technology is energy and area efficient, and reduces material and energy consumption, investment costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

There is a rapid global growth in demand for battery-enabled electrification. The rapid expansion of battery-enabled electrification of mobility and processes is required to meet global targets for reducing CO₂ emissions. However, battery manufacturing impacts the environment via emissions and waste from extraction of raw materials, energy generation, battery cell production and -packaging, and logistics.

They are using a 24M licensed production process which is solvent and binder-free; reducing the use of environmentally hazardous materials and substantially improving recycling potential. The technology:

- Thicker electrodes with a greater degree of active material resulting in cells with higher energy density

- Reduction in material costs and energy consumption compared with the current international average

- Elimination of environmentally harmful solvents in production

- Significant reduction in the number of steps in the production process related to (LiB) battery cells

Fueled by low-cost hydro and wind energy, FREYR designs and manufactures high-density and cost-competitive lithium-ion batteries with a reduced carbon footprint for the rapidly growing global markets for electric mobility, stationary energy storage, marine and aviation applications. 24M has drastically reduced the steps in the battery cell manufacturing process compared to conventional technology, enabling a more compact production line without large equipment items such as coater, mixer, NMP and NMP recovery, slitting, and press. No heating and drying are needed, greatly reducing energy consumption, and the electrode process is emission-free, thereby reducing the facilities’ direct CO₂ emissions. The 24M process enables thicker electrodes that require less inactive materials (copper, aluminum and separator), thereby reducing emissions from the production and transportation of these materials. There is no need for binder and NMP solvent which usually is a factor of high environmental concern. A battery without binder enables direct recycling which is less energy and chemical-intensive.

The giant factory will consist of four factories and will be built in five construction stages. The first stage is a pilot plant to be set up in the first half of 2022 (375 MWh).The industrypark might ensure 1500 new jobs in the area.

FREYR plans to develop up to 43 GWh of battery cell production capacity by 2025 to position the Company as one of Europe’s largest battery cell suppliers. In 2021 the company announced that they are going public on the New York Stock Exchange. In this way, they secure NOK 7.3 billion for investments in battery factories in Mo i Rana.