The Batteries - new energy for mobile devices

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Regional & National Organisations
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Fund Management
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META Investment

 Backed by META Ventures’ INGENIUM Poland Fund, The Batteries will revolutionize mobile device batteries, delivering twice the energy capacity and lifetime for the same size and weight for a very competitive price

​The Batteries is a new company focused on commercializing thin film solid state batteries (TFB). While using the similar basic materials as the conventional lithium ion batteries in your smartphone, tablet or laptop, TFBs are created by depositing materials in thin layers, some only nanometers or micrometers thick. 

“Traditional lithium ion batteries are assembled from materials in bulk form, while we deposit them in very thin layers, creating higher quality crystals,” explains Ayrat Khissamov, the company’s CEO & CTO. “It’s like the difference between ice and snow – the materials are the same, but in ice the material is more tightly packed together. And that means higher energy density.”

Thin film deposition ensures high crystallinity at right stoichiometry and phase of the materials. This delivers core properties of TFB giving electrochemical properties superior to conventional LI-Ion batteries.

Multiple benefits, new horizons

The innovative manufacturing process gives batteries which:
  • have up to double the energy density
  • can be made in any shape, and in flexible forms
  • charge faster, without traditional lithium batteries' explosion risk
  • are significantly more durable
  • can work at more extreme temperatures 

These improvements will not only allow designers to create lighter and better mobile devices but also open up new applications in fields as diverse as implantable medical devices, drones, wearable electronics and the Internet of Things (IoT). Future application can be also extended for e-mobility (e.g. e-scooters, e-bikes), autonomous sensors and energy harvesting technologies.

Thin film solid state batteries are known from few rare applications; however they are not available for wider use due to their high unit cost. Our innovative technology of evaporation enhanced by high density plasma TFB can be manufactured efficiently at much lower price. 

The solid state batteries can expand from niche to mass market and in the future could substitute Li-Ion batteries thanks to their advantages in crucial properties like charge time, longevity, energy density and operability in wide temperature band. A TFB battery can substitute 5 or 10 conventional batteries due to higher number of charge cycles and larger capacity.

The thin film battery market, in other words, is huge – Zion Market Research estimated that the global market for rechargeable Li-ion batteries was ~26bn in 2016, forecasted to grow at a 13.7% CAGR to €56.4bn by early 2023. The main driver for this growth is the increasing demand for consumer electronics—smartphones, tablets, digital cameras, media players and consumer drones.


New patent, new factory

While basic TFB technology is not new, until now it has been far too expensive for most applications, particularly for larger batteries. The Batteries, however, has developed and patented a new manufacturing process based on high density plasma in enclosed and protected environment, until now considered unsuitable for mass production.

The core innovation was introduced by our in-depth knowledge of the thin film applications. Between engineers and scientists from our team, The Batteries company has over 20 years’ experience in providing engineering consulting for major players in the mobile devices market. Their knowledge of surface chemistry, physics and thin film applications resulted in delivering hi-tech equipment for serial production of touch screens for premium smartphones.

The first step in commercializing the technology was supported by an equity investment from Ingenium Poland. In the R&D phase the team is creating working prototypes of both the manufacturing equipment and an advanced battery cell. Once proven, a pilot production plant will follow, delivering a first generation of batteries for the smartphones, wearable electronics and IoT markets. This will prove the advantages of the technology as well as capabilities of the manufacturing method will eventually lead to opening up new application for the TFB.

To learn more about how META invests in high-growth companies like The Batteries, get in touch.

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Comparison between current Li-Ion and TBF.


Overview of a thin film cell