Echion Technologies

Echion Technologies is transforming industrial electrification with ultra-fast charging battery materials that enable cleaner, safer and longer-lasting energy storage solutions.

Heavy-duty sectors such as mining, logistics and shipping remain among the hardest to decarbonise, relying on battery technologies that can withstand extreme operating conditions while delivering rapid charging, long lifespans and uncompromising safety.

Founded in 2017 by University of Cambridge PhD researchers Jean de Verpillière and Dr Alex Groombridge, Echion Technologies is tackling this challenge through XNO®, a unique battery anode material designed specifically for industrial electrification.

XNO® enables batteries to fast charge safely in under 10 minutes, maintain high energy densities, and deliver high power across a cycle life of more than 50000 cycles. The lithium-ion batteries created by manufacturers using XNO® have market-leading safety, cycle-life, and fast-charging capabilities.

One of the newest applications for XNO® is in AI data centres, where batteries are required to charge and discharge at equally high rates thousands of times per day to support grid balancing and power smoothing. Traditional battery chemistries are not designed for this highly demanding duty cycle. Incumbent anode materials are typically unable to match charge and discharge rates, forcing operators to build larger battery systems than would otherwise be necessary. This reduces space efficiency and can shorten battery lifespan as the intensity of the duty cycle increases. XNO® addresses this limitation at its source with an anode that does not plate lithium and is engineered for high-rate performance and long-term stability. The technology enables batteries to charge as quickly as they discharge across tens of thousands of deep cycles and hundreds of thousands of shallow cycles, while maintaining high levels of safety and reliability.

Supported in its early stages by the Maxwell Centre’s Impulse Programme, Echion has since raised a £39 million Series B round in 2024, led by Volta Energy Technologies with CBMM, BGF and Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, accelerating its journey towards large-scale commercialisation.

By enabling faster, safer and more durable battery systems, Echion is helping unlock the transition away from fossil fuels in industries that are critical to global supply chains and the net-zero economy.