ENDICOTT, NY – Solid-state battery technology pioneer Natrion announced today that it is commissioning a new pilot production line for high-volume manufacturing of its groundbreaking Lithium Solid Ionic Composite (LISIC) product for Li-ion and Li-metal batteries.
“This line will represent a major in-house high-throughput production capability,” said Krishna Iyer, Natrion’s Director of Process Engineering. “This resource was made possible by support from Binghamton University’s Center for Advanced Microelectronics Manufacturing and a FuzeHub Manufacturing Grant, which we were awarded in April.”
LISIC is a solid-state electrolyte for rechargeable lithium batteries. LISIC drops into existing battery (giga)factory production lines in the place of conventional separator components. The material is unique in its ability to transport charge without requiring the addition of liquid, thus enabling the construction of solid-state batteries (SSBs). SSBs made with LISIC are more resistant to abuse and extreme temperatures and deliver augmented energy density. For example, SSBs which pair LISIC with next-gen Li-metal anode materials can deliver over 430 Wh/kg when current state-of-the-art Li-ion manages less than 300 Wh/kg.
Once at full operational capacity, Natrion projects that its new line in Endicott will be capable of making over 30,000 square meters of LISIC per year. Conveniently located near the company’s HQ in Binghamton, NY, the line will enable the Natrion to meet initial customer demand for LISIC and LISIC-based cells. It will also serve as a testbed for proving out processes and equipment which Natrion will implement in a planned future full-scale production facility.
While Natrion is breaking ground on its pilot production line in New York, the company is also forging momentum across the Atlantic. It is actively investing in the UK and Europe region in response to growing interest in Natrion’s technologies beyond the U.S.
After officially making its first UK hire, Natrion will also be exhibiting as part of the UK Pavilion (Booth 3222) in the 2024 North American Battery Show in Detroit, MI this October.
“We are increasingly seeing interest from this region from automakers, as well as those working in drone, evTOL, and defense applications, to harness Natrion’s uniquely scalable battery fabrication technology,” said John Fox, who recently joined Natrion as the company’s new COO and is heading up the UK and EU efforts. “Superior battery technology is ultimately needed everywhere, so we’re now in a better position to service those forward-thinking OEMs abroad.”
Natrion is a leader in solid-state battery innovation, producing fire-safe, high-performance and manufacturer-friendly components for an all-electric future. Started in 2018 by Forbes Under 30 founders Alex Kosyakov and Thomas Rouffiac, the company was a winner of the LG Energy Solution Battery Challenge 2022 and 2021 MassChallenge Boston. It also participated in Y Combinator S2019 and NYU Stern’s Endless Frontiers Lab. It has received over $4 million from investors including Mark Cuban, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, and Tamarack Global, as well as multiple grants and contracts from the U.S. Department of Defense. The company is headquartered in Binghamton, New York with operations in Champaign, Illinois and Cambridge, UK.
