Milestone Manufacturing Agreement Supports the Charge to Net Zero

LiNa Energy and KÖNIG METALL Group announce today that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance the commercialisation of next-generation solid state sodium batteries.  This partnership will bring to bear LiNa’s sustainable and innovative sodium battery and KÖNIG METALLS’s 100+ years of manufacturing knowledge and infrastructure, taking us one step closer to mass manufacture of solid-state sodium batteries.

In the race to Net Zero, a range of technical and commercial solutions are needed for the challenges around energy storage.  However, as battery demand is booming across the stationary and automotive sectors, manufacturing capacity is lagging as industry recognises the inflated costs and complexities involved in building lithium-ion gigafactories.

LiNa’s proven battery technology is based on 1980s sodium chemistry, with modern materials science and advancements in fuel cell ceramics. Significantly, it relies on abundant materials and thanks to a patented design, their batteries – unlike many other lithium-ion alternatives – are ideal for mass manufacture using existing and proven industrial processes.

As a world-leading automotive components manufacturer with manufacturing facilities worldwide, KÖNIG METALL Group has a proud track record of tireless innovation, making them the perfect partner to support LiNa in their mission to help the energy and industrial sectors get to Net Zero faster. Today’s announcement builds on the existing relationship LiNa has with KÖNIG METALL’s technology specialist GVI unit, who supply battery component parts and insulation for LiNa’s battery energy storage systems.

Stefan Wolff, Head of New Business at KÖNIG METALL, said, “We have worked closely with LiNa since early samples of the LiNa battery cell were produced and are excited by the opportunity to apply KÖNIG METALL’s process and manufacturing know-how to scale LiNa’s battery technology. This formalised partnership is a major milestone to KÖNIG METALL as we transform our market position and apply our automotive manufacturing experience to new products in the energy technology sector.”

Will Tope, Chief Commercial Officer at LINA added, “This MoU brings together over a century of manufacturing know-how and infrastructure with LiNa’s expertise in electrochemistry and ceramics. We see a joint opportunity to disrupt the stationary storage market with a battery designed for high-scale manufacturing, breaking free from constrained lithium-ion supply chains and benefiting from proven industrial processes”.

The two companies will be partnering on a number of projects, the first of which – a feasibility study – is currently underway and already delivering positive results.