Aim to ecome a leading supplier of cathode materials

-We are still operating on a laboratory scale, but we have plans ready for a pilot. We need to think long-term. If Europe is to become self-sufficient in battery production within 10–15 years, gigafactories with a capacity of around 2 TWh need to be built—that’s 2,000 times the capacity of Morrow’s factory in Arendal. The bankruptcy of Northvolt shows that this will not be easy. We believe things have moved a bit too quickly, and that it is necessary to build up knowledge from the ground up to reach this goal. The cathode material, which accounts for about a quarter of the weight and value of a battery pack, must also be produced in Europe—along with the anode material and other battery components. If some components still have to be imported, Europe remains just as dependent on Asia. Here, Vianode has shown the way by developing the anode material graphite, which is now in production, says Azadeh Motealleh of Shift Materials, who holds a PhD in ceramic materials.

Dependent on Imports

Europe is currently heavily reliant on imports, and significant investments will be required to catch up with China’s lead. Shift Materials hopes to have a pilot up and running in 2–3 years, after the materials have been verified by end users.

-And that process is resource-intensive, so we, along with all other players, will need financial support, says Motealleh.

-We Have the Necessary Expertise

Shift Materials was founded as a startup in April 2023 by a group of researchers specializing in materials technology and joined the Eyde Cluster last year. A lot has happened in Europe, with the European Green Deal and new requirements for greener production and lower energy consumption. In line with this, Shift Materials aims to become a sustainable material supplier for the European battery value chain.

-We have the necessary expertise, so I’m very optimistic about our chances of success. But what we need now is investment for the pilot we are planning. It will have a capacity of 30 tons per year of LFP-type cathode material, and we have estimated a capital requirement of 7 million euros, she says.

Under Development

The LFP cathode material, which is widely used in lithium-ion batteries, consists of lithium, iron, and phosphorus. There is little lithium available in Europe, but in the future, lithium will be sourced from recycled batteries.

-Our strategy is therefore to develop products based on recycled lithium, which is also our task in the EU projects we are participating in. Furthermore, we aim to develop the next generation of LFP-type material, where manganese replaces most of the iron. The advantage of this material is that it has 20% higher capacity than pure LFP. These are next-generation materials, says Motealleh.

-We will reduce production costs by about 10% and the environmental impact by 50% with our production method, she adds.