Charged EVs | Echion and CBMM to build manufacturing facility for anode-grade niobium oxides in Brazil

Battery material provider Echion Technologies and niobium supplier CBMM have formed a partnership to build a new facility in Araxá, Brazil to supply anode-grade niobium oxides to be used in Echion´s XNO battery anode material.

The facility, which is due to open in early 2024, will have the capacity to supply 2,000 tonnes of material per year—the equivalent of 1 GWh of battery cell production.

Echion says its niobium-based anode material, XNO, delivers “lithium-ion battery performance highly suited for industrial, commercial and high-value applications that demand the highest up-time, lowest total cost of ownership and highest performance. Applications powered by XNO include battery-electric and hybrid trains, mining haul trucks, buses and delivery vehicles, as well as applications in motorsport and space.”

CBMM plans to invest $80 million in the expansion of its entire niobium oxides production line, which will include this new facility. The investment should enable total production of 3,000 tonnes of battery-grade niobium oxide in 2024. The company aims to reach 40,000 tonnes of niobium oxide capacity in 2030.

“The manufacturing deal…signifies the next step in our longstanding relationship with CBMM and will allow us to serve the huge global demand for our fast-charging, cost-effective and safe battery anode materials,” said Jean de La Verpilliere, CEO of Echion.

Source: Battery Tech News