If you're reading this, you're probably well aware of the commitment by the UK and many other countries to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. One of the most visible technologies that has seen increased adoption as part of this goal is the passenger electric vehicle (EV), made possible by improvements in lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries over the last few decades.
However, while passenger EVs (i.e. electric cars) now provide viable alternatives to petrol and diesel-fuelled internal combustion engines for many drivers, vehicles for more heavy-duty applications such as mining, logistics, and shipping are still largely reliant on fossil fuels. To meet the 2050 target, electrification of these industries will require batteries that can safely and rapidly charge over many more cycles, and often in more extreme conditions, than is possible using current EV battery technology.
One company that has developed a possible solution to this problem is Echion. Founded in 2017 as a spin-out from the University of Cambridge, Echion has developed a proprietary mixed niobium oxide anode material, called XNO®, as an alternative to the graphite-silicon-based anodes that dominate the Li-ion battery market today.
The anode is the battery's negative electrode, and in a Li-ion battery, this is where the lithium ions gather when the battery is charging. Echion found that their XNO® formulation demonstrated high stability over repeated fast charging and discharging of the batteries. According to Echion, this enables fast charging of Li-ion batteries in under 10 minutes, and the ability of these batteries to be safely fast-charged and discharged more than 10,000 times and to maintain high energy densities even at extreme temperatures. Other advantages of the material include its thermal stability, relatively low carbon footprint, non-toxicity, recoverability at the end of the battery's life, and the high abundance of niobium in the earth's crust.
In 2024, Echion and their investment partner CBMM (the world's largest producer of niobium products) opened the world's largest niobium anode production facility dedicated to producing XNO® in Araxá, Brazil. More recently, in 2025, Echion entered into an agreement with Korean battery start-up Grinergy to supply XNO® for the next-generation fast-charging battery system that Grinergy is developing. Grinergy has its eye on markets where high-speed charging and discharging, as well as safety, are critical, such as rail, defence, and logistics.
Clearly, these are exciting times for Echion. But, more importantly, they demonstrate that it may be possible to bridge the gap to speed up decarbonisation of these industries that are critical to global supply chains (and therefore economic growth), which will be good for all of us!
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
