Zinc-ion battery manufacturer Enerpoly has acquired the production line and manufacturing equipment of former competitor Nilar, a start-up developing nickel–metal hydride batteries for energy storage systems.
The Swedish company said despite Nilar’s innovative manufacturing capabilities, its battery cell chemistry utilised expensive raw materials and so suffered from high commodity prices. Enerpoly will swiftly integrate Nilar’s state-of-the-art machinery to scale its zinc-ion production. It has also hired engineering, process development and operational staff who have led the development and integration of Nilar’s dry electrode manufacturing process.
Enerpoly is planning to break ground on what it claims will be the world’s first zinc-ion battery megafactory in 2024. This plant will achieve a final capacity throughput of 100MWh annually, it said.
Its zinc-ion batteries are designed for grid or large-scale storage, back-up power and safety-critical applications of energy storage. This includes for maritime use, critical infrastructure and densely populated urban areas.
The batteries are made with dry electrode manufacturing, which the company said will simplify the integration of cells into battery packs and eliminates the need for solvents.
This allows thicker coatings to be achieved, it said, and thus higher energy efficiencies in comparison to the wet process. No solvent evaporation, collection and recycling reduces energy consumption significantly and cuts operating costs, waste generation and carbon impact, it added.
Enerpoly CEO Eloisa de Castro said: “This acquisition is a landmark step, signifying Enerpoly’s maturation from battery cell technology developer to industry-leading manufacturer.”
Financial details were not disclosed.
Photo: Enerpoly CEO Eloisa de Castro. Enerpoly.
