Northvolt acquires lithium metal developer Cuberg and plans Silicon Valley research centre
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New Silicon Valley technology centre will 'bridge research between Europe and North America'. Image: Northvolt
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Swedish lithium-ion battery developer Northvolt has acquired US lithium metal cells company, Cuberg, for an undisclosed sum – and will establish an advanced technology centre in Silicon Valley, to "bridge ongoing research” between Europe and North America.
Technology developed by Cuberg in California, which was spun out of Stanford University in 2015, "radically increases energy density and offers minimised scale-up risks and a shortened time to market, due to its full compatibility with the lithium-ion manufacturing ecosystem”, Northvolt said.
"Validated by trusted third parties, the cells deliver more than 70% increased range and capacity versus comparable lithium-ion cells designed for high-rate electric aviation applications.”
The companies plan to "industrialise cells in 2025 that exceed 1,000 Wh/L, while meeting the full spectrum of automotive customer requirements” – beginning with electric aviation.
'Best-in-class tech'
Northvolt said it is already set to hire "top battery industry talent” to join the new technology centre. In addition to accelerating lithium metal cell development and optimising the technology for automotive applications, the centre will focus on materials research and development for best-in-class lithium-ion anode and electrolyte technologies.
Cuberg’s customer base includes Boeing, BETA Technologies, Ampaire and VoltAero and the company’s investors and financial backers include the US Department of Energy and the California Energy Commission.
The acquisition deal comes just weeks after Northvolt, which is developing a battery cells gigafactory in Sweden, said it was investing $200m (£143m) to expand its energy storage systems manufacturing facilities in Poland.
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Northvolt investing $200m to build battery storage systems plant in Poland
Technology developed by Cuberg in California, which was spun out of Stanford University in 2015, "radically increases energy density and offers minimised scale-up risks and a shortened time to market, due to its full compatibility with the lithium-ion manufacturing ecosystem”, Northvolt said.
"Validated by trusted third parties, the cells deliver more than 70% increased range and capacity versus comparable lithium-ion cells designed for high-rate electric aviation applications.”
The companies plan to "industrialise cells in 2025 that exceed 1,000 Wh/L, while meeting the full spectrum of automotive customer requirements” – beginning with electric aviation.
'Best-in-class tech'
Northvolt said it is already set to hire "top battery industry talent” to join the new technology centre. In addition to accelerating lithium metal cell development and optimising the technology for automotive applications, the centre will focus on materials research and development for best-in-class lithium-ion anode and electrolyte technologies.
Cuberg’s customer base includes Boeing, BETA Technologies, Ampaire and VoltAero and the company’s investors and financial backers include the US Department of Energy and the California Energy Commission.
The acquisition deal comes just weeks after Northvolt, which is developing a battery cells gigafactory in Sweden, said it was investing $200m (£143m) to expand its energy storage systems manufacturing facilities in Poland.
Related articles in our archive:
Northvolt investing $200m to build battery storage systems plant in Poland