Global testing and certification organization DEKRA has taken a strategic equity stake in Sphere Energy, a specialist in AI-driven battery development, to create a new benchmark in battery testing and validation. The collaboration combines DEKRA’s decades of expertise in testing, certification and homologation with Sphere Energy’s advanced cell knowledge and proprietary AI-based simulation models. Together, they will offer an end-to-end validation ecosystem covering early-stage cell development at Sphere’s Battery Technology Centre in Germany through to testing, validation and certification of integrated battery systems for vehicles and energy storage at DEKRA’s laboratories in Arnhem (Netherlands), Guangzhou (China) and the new Large Battery Test Center in Klettwitz (Germany).
“Building on DEKRA’s State of Health (SoH) services, the two companies will co-develop advanced AI solutions for real-time SoH monitoring in commercial vehicles, to track battery performance, optimize lifecycle costs, and ensure safer, more sustainable operation. With this partnership, Sphere Energy and DEKRA are setting new standards in battery validation and in use-monitoring, making both, development and application safer”, says Christoph Nolte, Executive Vice President of the DEKRA Service Division Vehicles.
The joint approach leverages AI-based simulation, advanced data management and targeted physical testing to deliver faster, more cost-efficient and predictive validation services, closing the gap between traditional testing methods and the demands of data-driven development. “By combining simulation with physical testing, we aim to be future-ready and deliver greater value to our customers. As part of this collaboration, we will support the development of new simulation and hybrid services” noted Fernando Hardasmal, Executive Vice President of DEKRA’s Service Division Digital Products.
“In DEKRA, we have a partner that enables us to scale our expertise in artificial intelligence within the development process. Our mission is to simulate products from the earliest stages, gaining insights into their final performance before they are physically built. This accelerates the path to market for battery-powered products and establishes a new pillar of innovation for Europe’s industries”, says Lukas Lutz, Co-founder of Sphere Energy.
The partnership underscores both companies’ commitment to supporting the energy transition and advancing e-mobility through intelligent, data-driven battery validation solutions.
Source: DEKRA Press Release
