BMW Halves Battery Production Time with the Help of Zagreb’s FSB

The goal of the collaboration between the BMW Group and the University of Zagreb is to develop artificial intelligence models that will shorten the testing phase of battery cells and potentially eliminate the ‘quarantine’ phase, with lower costs, states the press release from the German company.

As part of the INSIGHT research project, artificial intelligence models are being developed and applied in practice to optimize the production of battery cells within the BMW Group, in collaboration with the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture (FSB) and the Regional Center of Excellence for Robotic Technologies (CRTA).

The project was launched in 2024 and aims to develop artificial intelligence models that should optimize production processes in the BMW Group and the quality of battery cells, with lower costs. It encompasses the entire production process of battery cells, from electrode production to final testing and internally developed direct recycling processes.

The artificial intelligence network uses data from testing and production, in real-time, for ‘precise prediction of process parameters in battery cells and data on their performance.’

This could significantly shorten the testing phase of battery cells, with fewer tests, while maintaining quality, BMW claims.

New AI-based systems reduce the amount of material and time required for individual steps in the process by more than 50 percent, they state. Predictive models could, according to them, eliminate the need for ‘quarantine.’

Freshly produced cells are usually stored, after initial charging, in a special storage area, under controlled conditions.

INSIGHT’s AI-based systems ‘can fully analyze battery cells in advance,’ which could potentially eliminate the ‘quarantine’ phase in the future, it is noted in the press release.

We are currently working on the expanded use of new models, beyond the ‘prototype environment,’ said Christian Siedelhofer, head of lithium-ion battery cell technology development at the German company, noting that, in addition to battery cell production, it could also be used in the ‘broader production system’ of the BMW Group.

The project is being conducted at CRTA in Zagreb and at the BMW Competence Center for Battery Cells (BCCC) in Munich. The project team includes professors, doctoral candidates, and students from the University of Zagreb, as well as researchers from the BMW Group.