Customcells to manufacture battery cells from US startup Enevate
The US startup Enevate, which is supported by the Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi manufacturer alliance, wants to shake up the market for the next generation of batteries with its silicon-dominated ‘XFC-Energy’ battery technology. This is said to offer “up to ten times faster charging than conventional lithium-ion batteries” – with “high energy density, improved safety, cost efficiency, excellent performance at low temperatures, lower CO2 emissions and compatibility with existing production facilities”, according to the statement.
Enevate is now getting closer to commercialisation thanks to another production licensing agreement with a well-known German player: Customcells has already produced its first battery cells with Enevate’s XFC-Energy, according to the company. Both companies also state that they have already held “commercial talks with leading OEMs in the e-mobility sector”. They do not go into any further detail. It remains unclear to what extent Customcells will produce the Enevate cells.
However, both sides emphasise the importance of the agreement: “This partnership marks a significant stride in bringing Enevate’s groundbreaking XFC-Energy® silicon-dominant battery technology to the European and global markets, especially in the electric vehicles (EVs) and mobility sectors,” Customcells wrote in a statement.
According to Customcells CEO Dirk Abendroth, the deal will enable joint growth in several key mobility market segments. “Combining CustomCells’ world-class manufacturing capabilities with Enevate’s ultra-high- performance battery cell chemistry will enable our companies to jointly grow in multiple key mobility market segments. This license agreement is an important milestone for CustomCells to accelerate the industrialization of this high-silicon anode technology.”
Bob Kruse, CEO of Enevate, emphasises that his company is looking forward to working together to commercialise the Enevate technology. “We are extremely proud to establish this partnership to supply the transportation and specialty markets with CustomCells. It shows the trust our partner has in our technology and further validates Enevate’s business model.”
In 2020, Enevate presented the fourth generation of its ‘XFC Energy Technology’ with silicon-dominated anode technology. This should enable a 5-minute charge to 75 per cent capacity at 800 Wh/l and 340 Wh/kg cell energy density. Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi has been involved since 2018, and the Californian company have already concluded production licence agreements with several companies, including EnerTech International, NantG Power and US factory partner JR Energy Solution for production in South Korea.
In its press release, Customcells describes itself as a “battery development and industrialisation accelerator”. The aim is to expand production in the coming years and achieve capacities in the gigawatt-hour (GWh) range for various applications. “The agreement with Enevate, a battery innovation company based in California, USA, marks an important step in CustomCells’ ongoing efforts to innovate and industrialize premium battery technology on a global scale,” the company wrote.
Customcells withdrew from the battery joint venture with Porsche in the spring – and has since reorganised itself. At the same time as it became known that Porsche intends to tackle the production of high-performance battery cells on its own, Customcells announced a “project-based partnership” with the Californian battery developer OneD Battery Sciences. The aim in this case is also the joint industrialisation of BEV battery cells for an unnamed automotive OEM. According to information from the German publication Manager Magazin at the time, Customcells is now entering the gigawatt-hour range for this project. This is because the customer is said to be General Motors.
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