One of Germany’s biggest innovation hubs, Adlershof Science and Technology Park, is home to theion’s new innovation Center, where the company is developing its revolutionary crystal batteries.
Inside the Research of theion’s Crystal Batteries
theion‘s crystal batteries innovation is based on sulfur, which is a highly effective and efficient replacement for cathode materials, which have expensive processing costs and metal contents of nickel and cobalt. Sulfur is also readily available without the need for hazardous or intensive mining (it is obtained as a byproduct in industrial processes).
In addition to being 99% less expensive to procure than the cathode materials used in current cutting-edge lithium-ion batteries, sulfur is also produced using substantially less energy in theion’s novel battery cells, from raw materials to completed cells.
By using a unique sulfur-crystal battery chemistry, theion hopes to treble energy density while only requiring a third of the present battery technology’s cell cost and CO2 footprint. The development of lightweight, environmentally friendly batteries that are carbon neutral can revolutionize both stationary storage and electric mobility.
With 1 MWh of semiautomatic cell assembly to produce customer samples, the new tech center facilities, which include a fully equipped synthesis lab, glovebox lab, and cycle lab, allow theion’s specialists to expedite their groundbreaking effort to disrupt the battery market.
“We are thrilled to move to our new labs, workshop and cell sampling areas,” said Martin Schaupp, CTO of theion; “The technical conditions are ideal for our team of experts, smart thinkers, and fast executers to operate on a skunk-works basis of small, highly effective teams capable of incredible results.”
Lukasz Gadowski, theion board member and CEO of Team Global – a major investor, said: “As an investor in frontier tech businesses I have witnessed thousands of start-ups, invested in hundreds and succeeded with dozens of breakthrough technologies. theion’s crystal batteries innovation has what it takes to revolutionize the battery industry, with an initial focus on electrified aviation they will have the expertise and credibility to move in to electrified automotive, handheld devices and grid storage. Team Global’s strategy is to invest in and enable small, strategic and focused teams of dedicated and motivated entrepreneurial leaders, operating as highly impactful skunk-works-type units to create disruptive results.”
A renowned independent research institute in Germany conducted third-party testing on theion’s patented lithium metal anode chemistry, and the results showed that the technology had made significant progress toward the development of safe, high-energy density batteries with fast charging capabilities.
Enpal is one of the major investors in the current series A fundraising round, with the goal of fusing PV installation with theion’s cost-effective energy storage battery.
Henning Rath, executive at Enpal and Board member at theion, said: “Sulfur Crystal batteries have the potential to enable grid storage with safe and affordable batteries, which are resource and energy friendly to produce. In partnership we are on the mission to lead the energy transition to renewables.”