Northvolt to move battery development from California to Sweden
Battery developer Northvolt is to leave its fully-owned Californian subsidiary Cuberg behind and switch its focus to its Swedish campus, reflecting what the former says “reflects a strategic move to consolidate the R&D and industrialisation of Northvolt’s cell product portfolio… into one location”.
Estabished in 2017, Northvolt has been thus far developing its lithium-battery technology via Cuberg (based in California’s San Francisco Bay Area), which Northvolt acquired in 2021. In April 2023, Cuberg unveiled a new programme “dedicated to developing high-performance battery systems that will enable safe, sustainable electric flight,” focusing on lithium-metal battery technology to “provide the foundation to enable electric aviation with high energy density and low weight”.
However, according to Northvolt chief development officer Sami Haikala, “bringing lithium-ion, sodium-ion, and lithium-metal technologies under one roof at Northvolt Labs creates a unique environment for cross-innovation and accelerated development” in a centralised location.
“The move strengthens Northvolt’s long-term commitment to advanced battery development and better positions it to engage industry first-movers with a technology that holds great promise,” added Cuberg CEO Shauna McIntyre, who will remain within a leadership role in the North American region. Other employees “have been encouraged to apply to apply to open positions matching their skillset across Northvolt,” including the company’s North American and Canadian facilities, as well as its Northvolt Ett gigafactory adjacent to the Arctic Circle.
