Research Avenues for Maintenance Operations in Battery Production

Paper in proceeding, 2026

The European battery industry is rapidly evolving due to demands for sustainability and digitalization. Large-scale battery production is essential for the energy transition but presents significant challenges, including in maintenance operations. By ensuring uptime and productivity, effective maintenance is key to industrialization. This study adopts a socio-technical lens to examine how sociological, technological, and organizational factors influence maintenance operations in battery production. Through ethnographic research within a real-world gigafactory, we gathered in-depth data on the socio-technical interactions of maintenance to identify critical challenges and establish important development needs. Thematic analysis resulted in the formulation of 31 distinct and relevant research avenues, providing industry and academia with strategic guidance and actionable blueprint for advancing maintenance operations in battery production.