German battery start-up company Theion has raised 16.4 million US dollars in a funding round to further develop its innovative sulfur battery technology. The Series A funding was led by technology holding company Team Global, the Geschwister Oetker Beteiligungen group, and German renewable energy company Enpal. Theion claims that its batteries offer three times the energy density of conventional lithium-ion batteries while costing only a third as much and causing only a third of the usual carbon emissions.
Potential applications and prospects
According to the company, Theion’s battery cells could be used in electric vehicles, flying taxis, and energy storage solutions. Theoretically, the cells could be deployed in electric vehicles before 2030. Thus far, the company has successfully developed small coin cells. The new funding will be used to develop larger pouch cells necessary for electric vehicles and aircraft.
Challenges coming with the technology
Theion is among a growing number of start-up companies in the United States and Europe working on breakthroughs in sulfur battery technology. One of the biggest challenges has historically been sulfur’s tendency to corrode quickly, as well as its so-called breathing effect where the battery expands and damages the battery pack. However, Theion claims to have solved these issues by using crystalline sulfur to prevent corrosion and pre-expanding the battery’s cathode.
