Morrow Batteries has entered into a joint development agreement with Celgard, boosting development of next-generation sustainable batteries

Morrow Batteries (Morrow) has entered into a joint development agreement with Celgard, boosting the development of next-generation sustainable batteries in Europe.

The multi-year agreement speeds up the development of High-Voltage Battery Separator Technology, which is a vital part of the battery cell production at Morrow’s European Gigafactory.

Celgard, LLC (Celgard), a subsidiary of Polypore International, LP, has for over half a century been at the forefront of membrane technology. The strategic move enables Morrow to take the lead in the race for global market-share within next-generation battery cells.

Dr. Rahul Fotedar, CTO at Morrow, is pleased to join forces with Celgard to commercialize separators for the company’s next generation high-voltage batteries:

The partnership with Celgard provides a framework to speed up the development of our LNMO-based products and it is a big step towards our goal of being a global battery frontrunner on both cost and sustainability, says Rahul.

The battery separators will be used in Morrow high-voltage battery cells with lithium nickel manganese oxide (LNMO) cathode material for electric vehicle (EV) and energy storage system (ESS) applications.

Lie Shi, Asahi Kasei global head of separator business development and executive vice president of Polypore, looks forward to further advancing electric vehicle technology with Morrow in Europe:

We are excited to partner with Morrow to develop and showcase Celgard® next generation dry-process membrane separators in high-voltage battery cells manufactured at their battery Gigafactory, says Shi.

While separator development activities are already underway between the two companies, commercial production will begin at Morrow’s battery cell Gigafactory at Eyde Energy Park in Arendal, Norway, in 2024. Under the terms of the agreement, Morrow will exclusively use Celgard’s proprietary dry-process membrane separators, suitable for high-voltage cells, developed under the agreement, in batteries produced at its Gigafactory. Morrow has committed to undisclosed annual purchase volumes.

About Morrow Batteries

Morrow Batteries AS (Morrow) delivers cost-effective and sustainable batteries to build decarbonized and resilient energy systems worldwide and enable the electric drive for all. Their next-generation LNMO (cathode material) batteries will replace cobalt, reduce nickel and lithium, and maximize the use of clean and abundant manganese. Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Arendal, the industrial scale-up now counts 100+ battery specialists across four offices internationally. Learn more at www.morrowbatteries.com and @MorrowBatteries on LinkedIn.

About Celgard and Polypore

Celgard specializes in solvent-free, coated and uncoated, dry-process microporous membranes used as separators that are a major component of lithium-ion batteries. Celgard's battery separator technology is important to the performance of lithium-ion batteries for electric drive vehicles, energy storage systems and other applications.

Celgard, LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Polypore International, LP, an Asahi Kasei Company.

Polypore is a global company with facilities in nine countries specializing in microporous membranes used in electric and nonelectric vehicles, energy storage systems and specialty applications. Visit www.celgard.com and www.polypore.com.