SOLiTHOR Expands its Expertise Platform
GENK (Belgium) – 14th June 2023 -The Belgian company, SOLiTHOR who is at the forefront of next generation solid-state lithium batteries has added three leading scientists to grow and upscale its technology, taking it to a whole new level. Having invested in a multi-million-euro new research and cell testing laboratories as well as a new cell production facility in Sint-Truiden, Belgium, the appointment of these leading scientists will form the backbone of SOLiTHOR’s move toward commercialisation of cell and module technology for the electrification of vehicles for the aviation, defence and maritime sectors.
Dr. Sergey Yakovlev is an accomplished electrochemist and material scientist with a twelve-year track record of research and development in electrochemical energy generation and storage systems. Dr. Yakovlev spent many years working for llika, a pioneer in solid-state battery technology enabling solutions for applications such as loT, MedTech and Electric Vehicles. Dr. Yakovlev has a strong background in the formulation of slurries for lithium-ion battery electrodes, rheology and electrochemistry. His main focus at the moment is on building a supply chain for the mass-production of battery electrode components and building R&D research facility. Dr Yakovlev will lead the components development team at SOLiTHOR.
Dr. Ali Darwiche will be responsible for components and cell design. He is an expert in Materials Chemistry with more than ten years’ experience in research and development. His forte is the use of Lithium metal and assembly of pouch cells. Dr. Darwiche previously worked for Hydro Quebec, the largest power utility in Canada and a major player in the global hydropower industry. Dr Darwiche will guide the assembly and testing team to build pouch cells with larger capacity from 0.1Ah to 3 and 10 Ah.
Dr. Matthieu Moors is a Creative Engineer and Technical leader, with an MSc in Chemistry and PhD in Materials Science. He has twelve years of international experience in cutting-edge product design, cost-efficient process development and high-volume manufacturing. Dr. Moors joins SOLiTHOR from Tesla, the American multinational automotive and clean energy company where he played a significant role in developing the 4680 Tesla cell technology. His expertise in upscaling of process and manufacturing will be a big asset for SOLiTHOR when moving from laboratory to pilot line demonstration and increase the number of cells produced in the next 3-5 years.
Huw Hampson-Jones, CEO and co-founder of SOLiTHOR says, “We are delighted to welcome these eminently qualified scientists to our team. Their appointment means that SOLiTHOR can move swiftly toward the deployment of its solid-state cell and battery systems into demonstrator battery systems. The reason that we can recruit such talent is confirmation of our current capabilities and our Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs).”
About SOLiTHOR
SOLiTHOR is pioneering the design, development and the commercialisation of intrinsically safe, high-energy solid-state Lithium cell technology. Having acquired a strong intellectual property portfolio from imec, the company already has access to nearly 30 personnel of the highest calibre.
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