German battery start-up theion has appointed Dr Gerhard Cromme, a German start-up investor and advisor, as chairman of its advisory board. He will support and amplify the company’s mission to mass manufacture its ‘Crystal Battery’ based on lithium sulfur. The board is further complemented by a global renewable energy pioneer and a leading software and digital expert.
Sulfur is an industrial byproduct with no harmful mining required. This drives material cost down to 0.20 €/kg (compared to state of the art cathode material NMC811 at 20.00 €/kg). Today’s battery factories require lots of energy.
theion aims to save 90 percent of the energy used during production. The company’s Crystal Battery is designed for recyclability and thus easy, safe and cheap to recycle. Here, sustainability goes hand in hand with affordability.
theion’s batteries are designed to be used with a range of mobile devices and electric vehicles (EVs). The first samples of the latter are expected in 2024 with a proposed range of 620 miles (1000km) and offer a fast charge time of just 10 minutes.
The company will also offer batteries for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) passenger aircraft offering flight times of over four hours and are expected in 2023. By 2024, the company expects to have regular passenger aircraft batteries offering flight times of over two hours.
Cromme has a long track record both, as chairman of the supervisory board of large industrial companies like ThyssenKrupp AG and Siemens AG. He also had the role of an investor and advisor within start-ups such as tech unicorn Auto1 Group SE. Cromme will lead the newly composed advisory board of theion bringing decades of experience in industrial companies and the tech sector.
theion has reinforced its board further with the appointment of two additional members. These are Stine Rolstad Brenna, a Norwegian seasoned business executive and investor, within renewables and industrial companies, and Osman Dumbuya, CEO and founder of Incari, a German based software company with a high-end development platform.
Dr Gerhard Cromme, chairman of the advisory board at theion, said: “The huge number of batteries needed within the next few years require a smart material supply which is based on a smart battery cell design.
“theion convinced me that sulfur, without mining at low cost and at a high energy density, is by far one of the best choices for a powerful battery and with a locally secured supply.
“I am happy to support the theion Management with my network and my experience to bring the company to the next level.”
Dr Ulrich Ehmes, theion CEO, added: “We are excited to have Gerhard on Board. His experience in leading industrial companies, and to think big, will add strategic value to our project.
“Stine’s experience in renewable energies and Osman’s activities in Digital Technologies complement the competences of the Board and serve as valuable source and orientation for the management.”
theion’s unique crystal sulfur battery offers extended usage time and range for mobility applications by a factor of three. theion is also backed by Lukasz Gadowski, CEO of Team Global, a technology holding company investing in and starting frontier technology companies.
With a successful track record that includes Delivery Hero, and recent investments into Volocopter, Zapata and AutoFlight, theion’s addition to the portfolio is highly synergetic.
