Echion signs MOU with total battery solutions provider Energy Tech Solution

International collaboration will accelerate XNO®’s pathway into the advanced battery market to support high-intensity industrial customers 

Echion and Energy Tech Solution (ETS) have announced a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the development of battery technology based on Echion’s industry-leading XNO® niobium-based anode material. Developed for mass industrial applications like mining, rail, maritime and data centres, XNO® outperforms mainstream lithium-ion batteries on both performance and durability. ETS joins the Echion partner network as the first total battery solution provider, covering production line design, cell assembly equipment and Korea-based cell design R&D for XNO®.

ETS, headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, with additional locations in Chungju, South Korea, and Detroit, USA, builds battery manufacturing equipment for startups and gigafactories worldwide, providing personnel support and product strategy alongside hardware sales. ETS also serves as a contract cell manufacturer for next-generation battery startups from Asia, Europe, and North America. Together, Echion and ETS offer a complete solution for cell OEMs looking to diversify into XNO®.

“Echion has demonstrated incredible performance capabilities in our custom-designed cells,” commented ETS CEO Y.H. Kim. “As battery technology saturates every aspect of the global energy system, this long-lasting and high-performance chemistry will find its place serving the most demanding users.”

As part of this MoU, Echion will utilise ETS as a vetted contract manufacturing partner for demonstration cell provision and product design iteration. For customers interested in XNO® cells, ETS will allocate a portion of its capacity in noted battery hub Chungju to customize cells to cylindrical, pouch and prismatic cell form factors. Interested parties can rely on ETS for full turnkey cell design and manufacturing.

“Energy Tech Solution offer a comprehensive range of battery solution services and manufacturing expertise, and have shown themselves to be adept at bridging process engineering and scientific R&D,” commented Echion CEO Jean de La Verpilliere. “We’re confident that XNO® batteries manufactured by the experts at ETS, on their well-trusted equipment, will give those customers seeking to produce their own XNO® batteries the charging speed and cycle life they need to run their businesses.”

Niobium-based batteries, including those powered by XNO®, are often considered a higher-performing alternative to titanium-oxide, or LTO, batteries, in the premium category of fast-charging batteries with long cycle lives. ETS aims to demonstrate XNO®-based batteries with excellent cycle stability and high-rate charging capability, targeting up to 50,000 cycles and charge rates as high as 10C.