Kevin Brundish on Pioneering LionVolt’s Disruptive Battery Technology

Who is Kevin Brundish, and what's your background?

“I'm an aeronautical engineer by training and started in the energy sector, though it was a different type of energy—gas turbines used in jet engines and power generation. I've worked in both areas. I was originally part of the fossil fuel-burning community, where I began my career, but it was always about energy. I worked for a technology company, made a career shift from engineering to business management, and managed broader energy portfolios, including batteries and fuel cells.

As an engineer, I was always focused on reducing environmental impact and lowering CO2 emissions. Initially, we were limiting emissions, not eliminating them. But when I became involved in batteries, I got excited because they have the potential to completely remove emissions and achieve zero emissions. This was around 25 years ago, and although there was a push for greener solutions, electrification wasn’t widely seen as the future. So, I was perhaps ahead of the trend in that regard. Since then, I've been focused on this field, and I've remained in it ever since.”

How did you become involved with LionVolt?

“I moved out of corporate life into startups, leveraging all the experience I had accumulated. I started my own business, took it through an IPO, and exited. I had worked in other people's startups, but always in the electrification space. After leaving my last role, I was looking for my next challenge. LionVolt approached me, and I immediately understood the technology and how it could be applied in the battery market. I was thrilled when they offered me the role. I was brought in to take over from the founding CEO, who had built a strong company but didn’t have the direct battery industry experience. The shareholders and the founder CEO  believed it was time to bring in someone who did have that experience, and I was delighted to take on that role.”

What is LionVolt trying to achieve?

“We’re part of the movement toward net zero, and more specifically, electrification. Within that, we operate in the lithium battery space. What makes us unique is our disruptive technology. We're working on a 3D structured lithium-metal anode, a component of the battery. If we succeed in bringing this to market, our technology can be incorporated into the cells that are being produced today, improving the energy capacity by more than 1.5 times. For example, if your electric vehicle currently gets 500 kilometers on a charge, it could achieve 750-800 kilometers with our technology—a significant improvement!

Lithium metal anodes have been around for a while, and their potential is well understood. However, two major challenges remain: charging speed and lifespan. Lithium-metal anodes typically take a long time to charge, and they have a short cycle life, meaning they can only be charged and discharged a limited number of times. The 3D structure, which is at heart of our technological innovation,  solves these problems, making lithium-metal anodes practical for real-world use. This extends the range of electric vehicles, prolongs the battery life of portable devices, and even opens up possibilities for electric flight. It’s a very exciting time.”

What technological advancements do you foresee in the coming years?

“We've transitioned from our innovation phase, which was largely research-focused, to our product development phase. In practical terms, this means we’re now turning our innovation into a real product that people can hold, test, and use. By "people," I mean the users of this technology, such as those in the consumer electronics, automotive, and aerospace markets.”

Is there a specific market you are targeting?

“Yes, we do have specific markets in mind. The early adopter market has traditionally been consumer electronics, and we see this as an exciting area. Our goal is to get our cells into a product that consumers recognize so they can test and evaluate them. If they like it, they’ll begin incorporating it into their designs, whether it's for a smartphone or a smartwatch. The same is true for the automotive industry.

Our plan for the next two years is to put samples into clients' hands. If the users get excited, they’ll start placing orders, and we’ll work with their supply chains to integrate our technology into their products.”

Are there competitors working on similar products?

“In a massive market like this, there are always competitors. However, we’re not aware of anyone approaching it the way we are. Interestingly, many of these competitors are more complementary than competitive. We're already collaborating with several of them, and we see our combined efforts pushing the technology even further.”

LionVolt is leading the NXTGEN Hightech Battery Pilot Line project. Can you explain what this project is and what you expect as a result?

“To get our product into clients' hands, we need to manufacture our clever anode in sufficient quantities—not mass production, but low-volume production to start. This is where the NXTGEN Hightech program comes in. It’s helping us build the capability to produce our innovation and incorporate it into end products for our clients. The program is crucial for enabling us to take that next step.”

Are there other companies involved in the project?

“Yes. We focus not just on innovation but also on how to manufacture it. We're using techniques that aren’t commonly used in battery production but are prevalent in large-scale industries like semiconductors and photovoltaics. Eindhoven, with its expertise in thin-film technologies, is the perfect location for this. Other companies involved are providing equipment and helping us optimize our production processes.”

Has the NXTGEN Hightech project expanded your network and ecosystem?

“yes, in many ways. Firstly, we've applied for funding, and there's been a critical review of our technology and business approach. There's been an acceptance that we've got something unique, and it's been supported. As part of the government strategy on where the Netherlands is going, that's really important.

Secondly, I think it's always the case where, if you have a strong subsidy program, you typically find collaborators. It's easy to answer yes to your question because the funding is important. But what's equally important is that you find collaborators who are excited about what you're doing as well. They have another piece of the total picture, and you start bringing those together. I think what we're enabling is not only our own technology, but those other pieces, such as processes and manufacturing equipment. We're enabling those to potentially come online as well.

The NXTGEN Hightech program, for us in general, is a super enabler to get funding. When we talk to investors, they're looking for de-risking, which the NXTGEN Hightech program offers. So, even though the NXTGEN Hightech program doesn't pay for everything, it plays an important part because the investor is not putting in 100% of the money; they're putting in a proportion via non-dilutive funding. This is very important and really valuable.”

What progress can we expect over the next three years?

“We obviously want to get our pilot line up and running, and there's a certain amount of funding that NXTGEN Hightech provides for us, alongside a lot of funding from our investors. So it's very well geared on this particular project. But then there are the following stages, where we have to build out, get it operating, and optimize the processes.

There's an OPEX (Operating Expenditures) as well as a CAPEX (Capital Expenditures) part of the program, and that's very valuable because we need to get trained people in. As we scale production, we need to keep bringing in people who can run this line. We don't want it run by PhD students—that's not how our production works. We want those PhD-qualified people to be inventing, structuring, and doing the innovation side. When it comes to manufacturing, we need a different type of people who are experienced in that area. So, there will be a phase where we're commissioning it, and then we will be up and running and providing it to our clients. All of that will happen within that three-year period. We're taking some very big steps.”

What advice do you have for startups and scale-ups?

“Early in my career when I worked in the gas turbine industry with companies such as Rolls Royce, I learned that research should lead to a product that improves the business. In the startup world, there’s a tendency to try to perfect the product, but it’s more important to make it functional and manufacturable early on. I’ve seen many great concepts fail because there wasn’t a way to manufacture them at scale. Always involve both engineering and science in your innovation process. And when scaling up, start thinking about your supply chain early. It's not difficult to produce in small batches or even pilot scale, but mass production requires careful planning.”