The Dutch province of North Brabant is investing 1.25 million euros to bring the Netherlands’ first national battery pilot facility to the region. The Open Battery Industrialisation Centre (OBIC) will allow companies to bridge the gap between lab development and mass manufacturing by testing and scaling battery technologies towards industrial production. The project is supported by over 12.2 million euros from the National Growth Fund, approved last November.
OBIC aims to give Dutch industry a foothold in a battery market currently dominated by Asian players. The facility will test new battery cells for performance and lifetime and optimize production processes to ensure consistent quality, building up manufacturing and integration know-how. According to regional authorities, many local companies develop battery components but lack the infrastructure to validate them in large-format industrial cells.
The initiative builds on more than 5.5 million euros previously invested by North Brabant in battery technology development. Partners include the Brabant Development Agency, Brainport Eindhoven, TNO at Holst Centre, industry associations and industrial players such as VDL ETS. OBIC will be located at the Automotive Campus in Helmond.