Can Europe recharge its battery industry?
European researchers and start-ups are betting on nanoscale battery technology to help the continent catch up in an industry increasingly dominated by China, after high-profile failures at Sweden's Northvolt and Norway's Morrow raised fears that Europe had missed the boat. With demand for batteries set to grow as transport and industry electrify, but long development timelines and fierce Chinese competition making it a risky sector, firms are turning to techniques borrowed from the semiconductor industry to gain an edge.
Dutch company LeydenJar uses plasma deposition to build ultra-thin, pure silicon anodes that resist the cracking which normally limits silicon's use in batteries, promising up to 50% higher energy density; commercial-scale production is due to begin at the end of 2026 after a decade of development. Its factory is based in Eindhoven, home to chipmaking giant ASML, reflecting the close ties between semiconductor and battery innovation. Another Delft-based start-up, Powall, is developing atomic layer deposition equipment to apply nanoscale protective coatings to battery powder materials, aiming to slow degradation and allow promising but currently fragile new materials to become commercially viable.
- Europe seeks battery industry edge via nanoscale technology after Northvolt, Morrow collapses.
- LeydenJar's plasma-deposited silicon anodes could boost battery energy density by 50%.
- Powall develops nanocoatings to improve battery durability and enable new materials.
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Europe's battery industry has struggled to establish itself, with recent setbacks at high-profile companies including Sweden's Northvolt and Norway's Morrow fuelling concerns that the continent has fallen too far behind rivals, particularly in China, to compete. Batteries are becoming ever more important as transport and industry shift away from fossil fuels, but building a battery business is slow and costly, and Chinese manufacturers already dominate much of the global market.
In response, some European researchers and start-ups are trying a different approach: applying techniques developed for the semiconductor industry, which makes computer chips, to battery production at a very small, or nanoscale, level. The hope is that this could produce batteries that store more energy or last longer, giving European firms a way to stand out rather than simply competing on cost and scale.
Two Dutch companies illustrate this approach. LeydenJar is developing thinner battery components designed to pack in more energy, while Powall is working on ways to coat battery materials to help them survive longer. Both are based near Delft and Eindhoven, an area with strong existing links to the semiconductor sector, and their progress is being watched as a test of whether this strategy can help Europe carve out a place in an industry it currently has little control over.