Northvolt closes Cuberg’s operations, shifts lithium metal battery R&D to Sweden

Northvolt, Europe’s battery manufacturing torchbearer, has announced the decision to shift development of its next-generation lithium-metal battery technology from California to its R&D campus, Northvolt Labs, in Västerås, Sweden. 

To date, Northvolt has been engaged in development of energy-dense lithium-metal battery technology for aviation and high-performance vehicles at its subsidiary Cuberg based in San Leandro, California.

The Stanford University spinoff has developed a 20 Ah commercial-format lithium metal pouch cell with an energy density of 405 Wh/kg and integrated those cells into an aviation-specific battery module offering gravimetric and volumetric energy density of 280 Wh/kg and 320 Wh/L respectively.

Now, Cuberg employees have been encouraged to apply to open positions matching their skillset within Northvolt.

“Today is a sad day for me , the entire Cuberg family that I have known for the last nine years, and the battery industry at large,” Cuberg founder and former CEO Richard Wang wrote on LinkedIn. “Northvolt has officially announced that it is closing down all of Cuberg’s operations and centralizing its R&D efforts in Sweden.”

Northvolt explained the transfer as a strategic move to consolidate the R&D and industrialization of its cell product portfolio — featuring lithium-ion, sodium-ion and lithium-metal — into one location.

“Bringing lithium-ion, sodium-ion, and lithium-metal technologies together under one roof at Northvolt Labs creates a unique environment for cross-innovation and accelerated development. By centralizing our efforts, we are better equipped to deliver the next generation of energy solutions to meet the growing demands of the global market,” said Sami Haikala, Northvolt Chief Development Officer.

Cuberg CEO Shauna McIntyre will remain in a leadership role within Northvolt North America, the battery maker said in a statement.

Northvolt, which has secured the backing of big investors such as Volkswagen, BlackRock, and Goldman Sachs since its establishment in 2016, has faced a series of setbacks in recent months.

After concluding a long-term supply contract in 2020, shareholder BMW has pulled a $2 billion EV battery order, citing production delays. According to media reports, Northvolt has had to scrap plans for a new battery factory in Borlänge which was originally scheduled to open this year. On top of that, concerns emerged over worker safety after three deaths at the company’s facility in northern Sweden. 

In May, Bloomberg News reported that the company’s possible initial public offering in Sweden had been pushed back to 2025 at the earliest.

However, there were good news stories as well. Earlier this year, Northvolt broke ground on a 60 GWh in Germany, which is scheduled to begin operations in 2026.

In January, the company raised $5 billion of debt financing to help it expand its first gigafactory in Sweden, Northvolt Ett, to up to 60 GWh of annual output capacity, in addition to building a recycling facility on the same site. The deal represents the largest green loan in Europe to date.