Posted by Arnaud Castaignet on - 14 May 2024
Skeleton Technologies has chosen France and the Occitanie region to expand its activities. The group plans to invest 600 M EUR within 5 years. As the first phase of its expansion, Skeleton will start R&D activities in Toulouse to develop next-generation battery technology. In the second phase, the group plans to build a manufacturing facility in the Occitanie region to produce Skeleton’s high-power battery called “SuperBattery”. The announcement was made at the “Choose France Summit” on May 13th 2024. Skeleton's Leipzig Superfactory Headquartered in Estonia, Skeleton Technologies currently has its production facilities in Saxony, Germany, and is building a new manufacturing site to scale up the production of its supercapacitors next to Leipzig. With this expansion to France, the group founded in 2009 will have a presence in Europe's two main industrial countries, which will allow the company to strengthen and develop its relationships with French customers and R&D partners. Taavi Madiberk, CEO and co-founder of Skeleton Technologies, says: “We are delighted to announce our plans for an expansion to France. Toulouse and the Occitanie region are for us the perfect location to set up our base in France, with direct proximity to existing and potential customers, and access to world-class talent and research institutions. This will allow us to accelerate the development of next-generation battery technologies through collaboration with the best experts in battery, materials, and energy storage, and build our next factory specifically dedicated to our SuperBattery product.”
Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy, Finance, Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, highlights:"7 years ago, the French and European battery industry did not exist. This investment decision, made possible by the green industry tax credit, validates our strategy of reindustrialisation in the service of the French people and the climate."
Laurent Saint-Martin, Managing Director of Business France, explains: “The project led by Skeleton is emblematic of the French strategy in terms of reconquering a green and cutting-edge industry. Business France initiated contacts with this European innovator in 2020 and supported the company for four years, in order to convince them to choose France. This patient work was one of the determining factors in the company's choice in favor of France.”
Carole Delga, President of the Occitanie Region, states: “The arrival of Skeleton Technologies is excellent news for the Occitanie region. Not only will it create jobs, but it also represents recognition of the reindustrialisation strategy that we are deploying here through innovative tools such as the Regional Strategic Investment Agency. We were in competition with many European countries and other French regions. The Estonian group's decision to locate not only its R&D centre but also its future factory here, demonstrates that Occitanie has become a benchmark region in the field of low-carbon mobility and new energy solutions. Our collective efforts have enabled the development of a very strong ecosystem, which this decision has acknowledged. Thanks to its innovative technology, Skeleton will undoubtedly become an Occitanie-based European giant that will revolutionise energy storage.”
Skeleton Technologies focuses on the high-power, fast-charging segment of energy storage technologies. Its supercapacitors and SuperBattery are used in various sectors and applications, including grid energy storage, heavy-duty and utility vehicles electrification, data centres, rail, marine, automotive, space, aeronautics - and allow to reduce CO2 emissions and save energy. Skeleton’s customers list includes Hitachi Energy, Siemens, Honda Performance Development, Skoda Electric, Shell, CAF, Martinrea, among others.
Skeleton’s SuperBattery is a high-power battery that bridges the gap between supercapacitors and batteries. SuperBattery’s energy storage cells do not require nickel or cobalt. They are based on Skeleton’s patented „Curved Graphene“ material, which is made with locally produced materials available and processed in Europe. SuperBatteries can help eliminate 40-50% of CO2 emissions in hard-to-abate sectors such as mining and off-road.
“As a European company, we are proud of expanding both in Germany and in France. Industrial cooperation across EU Member States is critical for the European battery ecosystem to develop and compete globally. The European battery value chain is a major component of European strategic autonomy and energy transition. For our future SuperBattery R&D centre and factory, we considered several countries and felt a solid support from the French Government, the Ministry of Economy, Finances and Industrial & Digital Sovereignty, Business France and BPI France, and the Occitanie Region. In recent years, France’s green reindustrialization has been impressive, and we are now thrilled to contribute to it,” Taavi Madiberk adds.
The company plans to begin R&D activities in Toulouse in Q4 2024 and the start of production of the SuperBattery factory in 2027. In total, 300 jobs should be created.
