The investment, led by Team Global, with participation from Geschwister Oetker Beteiligungen and Enpal, signals strong confidence in Germany’s ability to innovate and lead in energy storage solutions. The funding will strengthen Europe’s position in the battery market.
The crystal sulphur battery developed by theion is a breakthrough in energy storage, offering three times higher energy density than lithium-ion batteries at one-third of the cost, making it an economically competitive alternative, and with one-third of the carbon footprint, addressing sustainability challenges.
The element sulphur, the 16th most abundant on earth, contains significantly more energy per weight compared to current battery materials. This enables future batteries to be three times lighter compared to current lithium-ion batteries. Leading scientists and experts agree on the potential of sulphur regarding weight saving. However, the limiting factor is cycle-life. To be economically viable, sulphur batteries need to reach over 1000 cycles.
theion’s proprietary technology is based on sulphur’s monoclinic gamma crystal structure. This crystal structure together with patented processes lay the ground for increasing the cycle life of the battery, one of the constraints of sulphur batteries.
It is expected that the worldwide demand for batteries across all industries will triple by 2030 to 8 TWh or 500 billion euros per year. Led by land mobility, the sector is projected to be worth 340 billion euros, with the stationary energy storage sector valued at 175 billion euros and air mobility at 20 billion euros.
Europe can play a leading role in this multibillion battery business by using sulphur, an upcycled waste material with a resilient supply chain, making batteries affordable to everyone, and powering the energy transition on land, air and sea.
“We are thrilled to receive this investment from Team Global, Geschwister Oetker Beteiligungen and Enpal” said Dr. Ulrich Ehmes CEO of theion. “This support will be invaluable in the delivery of this transformational technology. Germany has a long-standing history of pioneering engineering and innovation. We are designing our crystal sulphur battery to position Europe as a leader in sustainable energy storage. There is still a way to go but our technology shall enable CO2-neutral electric flights, extended EV range, and efficient stationary energy storage.”
theion’s patented crystal sulphur battery utilises sulphur, a widely available and cost-effective material, replacing nickel and cobalt, which are expensive and environmentally harmful to mine. This approach significantly reduces production costs and enhances supply chain resilience.
The cathode raw material will be 99 percent cheaper compared to lithium-ion components and will less energy-intensive when it comes to manufacturing, thereby improving overall sustainability. It also offers improved safety, addressing critical issues in battery performance.
theion’s first markets for the battery will include electric aviation and aerospace, electric vehicles (EVs) and stationary energy storage.
This technology will enable Germany to take a significant step toward competing with global battery manufacturers, fostering a strong European ecosystem for advanced energy storage solutions.
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