Battery startup Anzode Inc. has received a $1.7-million award for a three-year effort to develop a new generation of non-lithium batteries, as part of the California Energy Commission (CEC) Grant Funding Opportunity “Developing non-Lithium Ion Energy Storage Technologies to Support California’s Clean Energy Goals.” (GFO-19-305)

The CEC is awarding almost $11 million to developers of energy storage technologies other than lithium-ion batteries to meet California’s 100% clean energy statutory requirement and the need for a diverse set of longer-duration storage technologies.

Anzode is building a generation of inexpensive green batteries that are safer for the environment. Our rechargeable zinc-manganese batteries provide great performance and safety and are much cheaper than lithium, making them a viable solution for backup power and energy storage. Future generations of our technology could even find their way into automobiles. This grant will enable Anzode to accelerate its design, prototyping and manufacturing tests, allowing the company to bring its groundbreaking technology closer to consumers, including those in California.

—Sebastien Belanger, president and CEO of Anzode, Inc.

Anzode’s batteries use inexpensive materials, which translates into a 70% cost advantage when compared to lithium-ion and gas generators for a given amount of energy.

Zinc (Zn) has long been considered an ideal battery electrode due to its high power and energy density, low cost, global availability, environmental characteristics and ease of recycling. However, zinc has failed to perform up to expectations in rechargeable batteries due to issues including dendrite growth and shape change, both of which cause premature failure. Anzode says it has successfully solved these issues, thereby unlocking the full electrochemical potential of Zn. Its proprietary technology is cathode-agnostic.

Similarly, manganese (Mn) is an abundant, safe, inexpensive and widely used element. Anzode’s technology stabilizes both metals and turns them into a fully rechargeable battery.