Dutch startup LionVolt is developing 3D solid-state batteries that it says ticks all the above \u2014 and it\u2019s just raised \u20ac15mn to scale up production.<\/span><\/p>\n LionVolt \u2014 a spinout from TNO\u2019s Holst Centre in Eindhoven, the Netherlands \u2014 is working on solid-state batteries that don\u2019t contain the liquid lithium common in standard lithium-ion devices.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Instead, the batteries are made up of a thin film containing billions of solid pillars, creating a patented 3D architecture with a large surface area. Compared to lithium batteries, the ions only have to travel<\/a> a short distance, which makes charging and discharging much faster. Using a solid material rather than a liquid also means <\/span>that the battery cannot catch fire or <\/span>explode<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n TNW Conference 2024 – 2 for 1 Flash Sale<\/p>\n Get two tickets for the price of one. Offer Ends on Monday 12 February<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n As the startup\u2019s CEO and co-founder <\/span>Karl McGoldrick previously <\/span>explained<\/span> to TNW, <\/span>the heightened surface area inside the battery allows for an almost <\/span>record-breaking<\/span><\/a> energy density of 450 Wh\/kg. <\/span>Tesla\u2019s 4,680 cells, for comparison, measure somewhere between 244-296 Wh\/kg.<\/span><\/p>\n LionVolt further claims its batteries weigh 50% less and provide 200% better performance compared to the most advanced lithium-ion batteries available today. The cells can already be used in wearables, but the company eventually plans to build a gigafactory in Eindhoven to make batteries for EVs.<\/span><\/p>\n Armed with fresh equity funding, which brings the company\u2019s total raised so far to \u20ac30mn, LionVolt looks to embark on the next phase of growth.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>A big thank you to our investors for their confidence in us,\u201d the company said on <\/span>LinkedIn<\/span><\/a>. \u201cLooking forward to accelerating LionVolt as a leading next-gen battery company by leveraging the core strengths of our teams in the Netherlands and the UK.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The announcement com<\/span>es just two weeks after LionVolt acquired AMTE Power, pulling the Scottish battery cell manufacturer out of administration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n AMTE Power, which went <\/span>bankrupt<\/span><\/a> in December, specialised in lithium-ion and sodium-ion cells used in high performance EV batteries and long-duration energy storage.<\/span><\/p>\n Under the deal, LionVolt now owns the company\u2019s battery-cell manufacturing and production businesses based in Thurso, Scotland. It will repurpose the site to produce its own solid-state battery technology<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sandeep Unnikrishnan, CTO of LionVolt, called it a \u201cdream scenario\u201d for a deeptech company like theirs. \u201cIt helps us mature our innovative 3D battery technology quicker by leveraging the manufacturing expertise from the team in Scotland, thereby reducing time-to-market.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n In a busy start to the year for LionVolt, the startup also secured a space to set up its first <\/span>pilot production plant<\/span><\/a> at the Brainport Industries Campus (BIC) in Eindhoven.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n LionVolt\u2019s recent successes are good news<\/a> for the EU, which is <\/span>pushing<\/span><\/a> to increase its share of battery production amid an industry dominated by <\/span>cheap imports<\/span> from China.<\/span><\/p>\n Back in 2019, the bloc invested a <\/span>whopping<\/span><\/a> \u20ac60bn into domestic EVs and battery production, which undoubtedly helped some of Europe\u2019s most promising startups, such as Northvolt, scale to where they are now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As numerous other companies, such as CATL in China or Toyota in Japan, <\/span>announce breakthroughs<\/span><\/a> in solid-state batteries, Europe will no doubt have to double down on funding. Whether it does or not could prove decisive for LionVolt and European battery startups.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As McGoldrick stressed, if Europe is to feature prominently in the great battery race at all, then investing in novel technology \u2014 which means taking a chance on younger companies \u2014 is essential.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe have to be braver,\u201d he says. \u201cOtherwise, we\u2019ll be buying all our batteries from China.\u201d<\/span>\n <\/div>\n If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
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