Echion secures ETS as partner for niobium anode material
UK battery material startup Echion is now collaborating with South Korean battery equipment supplier Energy Tech Solution (ETS). The partnership is focused is on XNO, Echion's niobium-based anode material, which is designed to enable exceptionally fast charging and very high cycle stability.
Echion's booth at the Battery Show
Image: Echion
Echion Technologies has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Energy Tech Solution (ETS) to jointly develop battery cells based on Echion’s XNO anode material. Under the agreement, ETS will take responsibility for cell design, provide manufacturing technology and act as a contract manufacturer for demonstration cells.
For Echion, ETS is the first “total battery solution provider” in its partner network. The company, headquartered in Seoul with an additional site in Chungju, South Korea, develops production equipment for battery startups and gigafactories and also manufactures cells on a contract basis. As part of the agreement, ETS will provide capacity for XNO cells in cylindrical, prismatic and pouch formats at its Chungju facility.
“Echion has demonstrated incredible performance capabilities in our custom-designed cells,” says Y.H. Kim, CEO of ETS. “As battery technology saturates every aspect of the global energy system, this long-lasting and high-performance chemistry will find its place serving the most demanding users.”
Echion develops “drop-in” anode material XNO
So what is behind XNO? Put simply, Echion is not reinventing the entire lithium-ion battery but focusing on the anode, which is typically made of graphite in today’s lithium-ion cells. XNO replaces the graphite with a niobium oxide-based material developed by Echion. The cathode — such as NMC or LFP — can remain unchanged, according to Echion. The company therefore describes XNO as a “drop-in” anode material that can be processed on conventional electrode coating lines.
The advantages are said to lie primarily in fast charging and longevity. Echion specifies a continuous charging rate of up to 10C for XNO cells — theoretically enabling a full charge in around six minutes. Under optimised conditions, the company cites more than 50,000 charge cycles, or over 15,000 in real-world industrial applications with deeper cycles. For comparison, LFP cells are typically charged at significantly lower C-rates. XNO thus positions itself less as an alternative for maximising range and more for applications where batteries are frequently and rapidly charged and discharged.
Niobium anodes primarily for demanding applications
Echion is primarily targeting industrial applications such as mining vehicles, rail vehicles, ships, forklifts, as well as stationary storage and uninterruptible power supplies for data centres. Another point of comparison is lithium titanate (LTO): this technology is also known for very fast charging and high cycle counts but has a relatively low energy density. Echion states that XNO offers roughly double the energy density of LTO, enabling smaller and lighter batteries with similarly high cycle stability.
The technology is no longer confined to the laboratory. According to Echion, XNO has been produced on an industrial scale since 2025. Together with niobium producer CBMM, the company operates a facility in Araxá, Brazil, with an annual capacity of 2,000 tonnes of XNO — enough for approximately 1 GWh of battery cells. With ETS, a partner is now joining to cover the next part of the value chain: the development and manufacturing of specific cells.
Charging at 10C and 50,000 cycles
As part of the collaboration, Echion and ETS initially aim to demonstrate XNO cells with high cycle stability and high charging rates. ETS cites targets of up to 50,000 cycles and charging rates of up to 10C. Whether these figures can be achieved in mass-produced cells and under real-world operating conditions remains to be seen in further development.
“Energy Tech Solution offer a comprehensive range of battery solution services and manufacturing expertise, and have shown themselves to be adept at bridging process engineering and scientific R&D,” commented Echion CEO Jean de La Verpilliere. “We’re confident that XNO® batteries manufactured by the experts at ETS, on their well-trusted equipment, will give those customers seeking to produce their own XNO® batteries the charging speed and cycle life they need to run their businesses.”