DISTRIBUTED CELL FORMATION SYSTEMS FOR LITHIUM CONTAINING SECONDARY BATTERIES

A cell formation system for lithium containing secondary batteries includes a population of formation clusters, each formation cluster includes a connector configured for connecting to a lithium containing secondary battery, a charging module connected to the connector and configured to charge the battery, a pre-lithiation module connected to the connector and configured to diffuse lithium to electrode active material layers of the battery, a discharging module connected to the connector and configured to discharge the battery, and a communication interface for communicatively coupling the formation cluster to a central controller. In response to received instructions from the central controller, the formation cluster is configured to charge the battery using the charging module, diffuse lithium to the electrode active material layers of the battery using the pre-lithiation module, and discharge the secondary battery using the discharging module after lithium has been diffused to the electrode active material layers of the battery.