impulse alumni lead the charge in the battery revolution

WITH the world racing to find urgent sustainable solutions to meet its energy needs, the spotlight has turned increasingly to the crucial role of batteries.

From powering electric vehicles and the next generation of consumer electronics to enabling renewable energy storage, batteries are at the heart of modern technology and the transition to a cleaner, more energy-efficient future energy grid, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and accelerating the adoption of renewable energy sources.

The quest for ever smaller, lighter, safer batteries is driving constant innovation across the field – and the need for efficient, longer-lasting, faster-charging reliable batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) has become even more critical.

In response, impulse, the University of Cambridge’s entrepreneurship programme, has helped a raft of pioneering battery innovators commercialise their critical advancements in battery technology – and they are now changing, never mind charging, the world.

Sanzhar Taizhan, founder and CEO of TaiSan and Emma Antonio, who aims to spin out of Imperial College London this Summer, are just some of the most recent impulse graduates pushing the boundaries of what the humble battery can do, and bringing the chemistry to the next level.

They follow in the super-charged footsteps of impulse alumni, Jean de La Verpilliere, cofounder and CEO of Echion Technologies and Kieran O’Regan, cofounder and CGO of About:Energy.

Last June, Echion – whose revolutionary XNO® niobium-based anode material is enabling lithium-ion batteries to fast-charge safely in less than 10 minutes – raised £29million in a Series B investment round, and, five months later, landed a further £10million to power commercial growth. They recently opened a niobium-based anode production facility, capable of producing 2000 t/year of XNO®, equivalent to 1 GWh of Li-ion cells.

Battery technology company, About:Energy has raised over £4 million to scale its hardware-integrated software solutions, enabling advanced digital twins for the automotive and industrial sectors.

Sanzhar Taizhan: courtesy of TaiSan

Sanzhar Taizhan – who was awarded an impulse fellowship, sponsored by automobile parts manufacturer, MAGNA International – is similarly progressing his quasi-solid state sodium technology for battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs). TaiSan has developed a novel polymer electrolyte and anode material able to boost the energy density of sodium whilst keeping costs low.

Sanzhar explains: “Sodium batteries are traditionally very heavy and big in size. We have developed a brand-new electrolyte material, and a first-of-its-kind quasi-solid-state sodium battery, which makes batteries considerably smaller and lighter, with best-in-class energy density, and offers significant cost, sustainability and safety benefits for the BEV industry.”

Last year, TaiSan received a “Best Growth Potential” award from the Department for Transport (DfT), as well as a £1.3 million pre-seed fund raise (EIT InnoEnergy, TSP Ventures, Heartfelt VC and Exergon). Now, with memorandums in place and prototypes being tested this year, TaiSan’s pioneering technology is set to be a gamechanger for both the automotive and micromobility industries – providing reliable battery cells to address ‘range anxiety’ amongst EV users, reduce charging times, and ultimately drive down overall costs.

Meanwhile, Emma Antonio, who only graduated from impulse last year, is focused on using waste materials to make biomass-based ‘hard carbon’ battery materials for sodium-ion batteries.

Emma Antonio: courtesy of Imperial College London

Emma says: “Sodium-ion batteries are a more sustainable, affordable and energy-secure alternative to existing lithium-based technologies, as they can eliminate the need for critical minerals. Current battery supply chains are heavily dependent on a few key regions, creating vulnerabilities in energy security. In contrast, sodium-ion batteries – made from low cost, locally sourced, abundant materials – are positioned to play a leading role in a sustainable, equitable and resilient energy future. And as they can be manufactured using existing capabilities, they are rapidly gaining traction, especially in the stationary storage sector, to support wind and solar.

“In sodium-ion batteries we can replace the critical mineral graphite with hard carbon, which can be derived from a variety of sources, including biomass and plastic waste. We have developed a material that stores more charge, charges quickly and lasts longer.

“In the near term, like Echion Technologies, we are focused on commercializing the advanced material that we have developed. However, longer term our vision extends beyond a single component – we aim to pioneer a new sodium battery chemistry.”

Applications are still open for impulse 2025: https://www.maxwell.cam.ac.uk/apply-impulse. Closing date: 3 March 2025. The action-learning initiative – which runs from 29 April to 11 July 2025 – is designed to accelerate high-potential innovations into commercial propositions, guided by top-tier innovators and mentors from the Cambridge innovation cluster.

Fellowships are available for certain technology and research areas. impulse partner, BMZ, a leading manufacturer of cross-industry lithium-ion battery systems in Europe, is offering the opportunity of a battery technology-related fellowship for a suitable participant accepted on impulse 2025. BMZ is committed to being a Leader of Innovation by consistently integrating the latest technologies and production methods to enhance battery performance, establishing itself as a pioneer in innovation.