Swedish Battery Company Northvolt Announces to Develop Batteries for Electric Aircraft

Swedish battery maker Northvolt announced on April 25 that its US subsidiary Cuberg has begun work on developing lithium batteries for electric aircraft, a move it says will help reduce carbon emissions, Reuters reported.

It is reported that aircraft manufacturers have been exploring fuel-saving technologies, but because of the heavy weight of traditional lithium-ion batteries, which ted aircraft car manufacturers from following the pace of car companies to develop electric engines.

Cuberg CEO Richard Wang said that through this new project, Cuberg will build certifiable battery systems that will greatly improve aircraft performance.

As early as July 2022, Northvolt and Cuberg have claimed significant progress in the development of lithium batteries and said the newly developed batteries have sufficient range and load capacity for long-distance, high-load flights.

Northvolt was founded by two former Tesla executives in 2017. The company's initial goal was to build a gigafactory in Scandinavia.

At the end of 2021, Northvolt's first superfactory went into operation to start producing car batteries. In March 2022, the company announced that it would build its third superfactory in Germany.

In addition to its efforts to develop the battery production chain in Europe, Northvolt has allocated R&D funds to develop unique battery technologies, such as producing batteries from 100% recycled nickel, manganese and cobalt materials. The company has even announced that it will develop new technology to use a plant-derived polymer called lignin to develop sustainable batteries.