The electric vehicle revolution could see Kodak announce its plans to turn its film manufacturing equipment into car batteries. The company will reuse several high-tech machines originally intended for photographic film into electric vehicle battery manufacturing equipment.
Kodak has invested in Wildcat Discovery Technologies in pushing its entry into electric car battery manufacturing. Kodak says that the Wildcat supercell battery requires a coating and technical input similar to that of its 35mm film.
Therefore, it only takes a bit of retooling to get into electric car battery manufacturing. This could provide a major boost to the electric vehicle battery industry, which is grappling with expensive manufacturing processes.
Kodak’s photographic filmmaking equipment is worth $70-80 million. This photographic film production process called ESTAR uses polymers to make films. The polymer requires a special chemical coating, similar to the Wildcat battery production process.
Kodak said the move to electric vehicle battery production could sustain its revenue substantially. The price of electric vehicle batteries is much higher than photographic film. Electric vehicle battery costs account for more than 50% of electric vehicle costs in some cases.
Kodak is currently expanding its productive capabilities beyond photography. They are already present in the production of components for pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and chemicals for laboratory operations. The addition of electric vehicle battery manufacturing could be an important milestone for Kodak.
