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Battery startup Anthro Energy is producing a material that can change from liquid to solid, making more powerful, longer lasting and safer batteries, the company tells Axios.

Why it matters: Battery companies have spent decades investing in so-called solid-state batteries but they're still not being mass-produced yet.

Zoom in: The Stanford spinout has created an electrolyte that can be injected into lithium-ion batteries using standard manufacturing lines. An electrolyte is the medium that carries the lithium ions during charging.

Anthro's electrolyte, called Anthro Proteus, then changes into a solid inside the battery during formation, which is the step when a battery is first charged before shipping it to a customer. The electrolyte brings the benefit of solid-state batteries like higher energy density, safer charging and longer life.

Anthro Energy CEO David Mackanic tells Axios that the company is working with several customers in the defense sector and consumer electronics, as well as collaborating with big automakers.

In addition to unveiling its tech, the company plans to announce next week that it's received $18.4 million in tax credits to support manufacturing of the tech at a new facility in Kentucky.

Catch up quick: Mackanic did his doctorate at Stanford working on advanced battery materials, including rubber-like materials that are stretchy and robust but can also transport ions in a battery. He co-founded Anthro Energy in 2021 and went through the Activate program.

The company has raised $27 million between a seed and Series A round, including from Union Square Ventures, Emerson Collective, Voyager Ventures and Collaborative Fund.

The funding will help Anthro Energy commercialize its tech at pilot lines in Alameda, Calif., as well as a bigger factory in Kentucky.

The company aims to produce complete batteries, as well as its electrolyte material to sell to battery makers.

The big picture: Lithium-ion batteries are the cornerstone of both clean energy and electric transportation.

Safer, longer lasting and more powerful batteries could help expand EVs and the deployment of solar and wind.

Big battery companies and startups alike have invested heavily in solid-state batteries as the next generation of energy storage after the traditional lithium-ion.

Solid-state batteries haven't been widely commercialized partly because it's so expensive to develop a completely new way to manufacture these batteries that use a solid electrolyte.

What's next: Anthro Energy plans to open up its pilot facility in Alameda in mid-2025.

Anthro Energy unveils its battery material breakthrough

Solid state batteries can be more powerful, safer and longer lasting

Alameda-based startup Anthro Energy shows off a battery with an injectable liquid to solid electrolyte

Startup Anthro Energy makes a battery with an injectable liquid-to-solid electrolyte. Photo: Courtesy of Anthro Energy

Battery startup Anthro Energy is producing a material that can change from liquid to solid, making more powerful, longer lasting and safer batteries, the company tells Axios.Why it matters: Battery companies have spent decades investing in so-called solid-state batteries but they&#x27;re still not being mass-produced yet.

Anthro Energy unveils its battery material breakthrough

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