Europe’s ambitions to establish a robust domestic battery industry have hit significant turbulence, marked by the recent high-profile bankruptcies of Sweden’s Northvolt and Norway’s Morrow. These failures have stoked fears that the continent may have missed yet another critical technological shift, leaving it vulnerable to the overwhelming dominance of Chinese battery giants. As industries and transport sectors pivot away from fossil fuels, the demand for batteries is surging, yet the path to market remains fraught with brutal competition and the immense time required to scale new products.
In response to these challenges, a growing cohort of European researchers and investors is shifting focus toward the microscopic level. By operating at the scale of nanometres—one-billionth of a metre—these innovators believe they can secure a competitive edge. Christian Rood, chief executive of the Dutch firm LeydenJar, emphasizes that while the work is risky, it holds the potential to influence a vast array of industries. LeydenJar, named after an 18th-century precursor to the electric cell, utilizes a technique called plasma deposition to engineer a more efficient, lighter anode, which serves as a core component in all batteries.
The technical challenge lies in the use of silicon, a cheap and effective material that typically expands and contracts during battery operation, causing it to crack and fail. LeydenJar’s solution involves using plasma deposition to create an ultra-thin, pure silicon foil. This layer-by-layer construction prevents cracking, potentially boosting battery life, charging speed, and energy density by up to 50%. Rood describes the invention as a way to address the primary bottleneck in battery performance, noting that the material remains stable where pure silicon anodes would otherwise disintegrate.
The company’s path to commercialization highlights the grueling nature of Deep Tech, having taken a decade to reach this stage. Production is slated to begin at the end of 2026. The firm’s location in Eindhoven is strategic, placing it within a regional ecosystem that includes semiconductor giant ASML. Rood views this crossover from semiconductor expertise to battery production as a key competitive advantage, allowing the company to leverage existing industrialization techniques and secure intellectual property in ways that are difficult to replicate in the US or China.
Another player in this space is Powall, a startup based in Delft that is developing equipment for the nanocoating of battery raw materials. Using atomic layer deposition, the company applies coatings measured in nanometres to individual powder granules. CEO Roderik Colen explains that this process helps mitigate the degradation and aging that occur after thousands of charge cycles. While new materials often offer higher capacity or faster charging, they frequently struggle with durability; Powall’s nanocoating provides the protective layer necessary to make these materials commercially viable.
The process is highly precise, utilizing a gas-based chemical reaction to apply coatings with exact thickness. Both LeydenJar and Powall are not attempting to manufacture entire batteries themselves; instead, they are positioning themselves as essential suppliers within the global supply chain. Rood draws a parallel to ASML, which does not produce chips but provides the critical technology required to make them. By creating unique components, these firms hope to secure a permanent seat at the table in the global battery industry.
However, the broader outlook for Europe remains complex. Alexander Brown, a senior analyst at the Berlin-based Mercator Institute for China Studies (Merics), notes that while having advanced, high-margin parts of the supply chain in Europe is a positive development, it is not a panacea. He warns that China is actively working to develop local alternatives to these niche technologies, including the very semiconductor-related processes that European firms currently rely on. While Europe possesses a traditional strength in high-quality, exquisite product development, Brown cautions that this should not be the continent’s sole strategy.
Beyond the technological hurdles, the financial landscape presents a persistent challenge. Rood points out that while there is sufficient capital available in Europe, the region’s risk appetite differs significantly from that of Asia or the US. This cultural difference forces startups to navigate a complex patchwork of funding sources. As Colen observes, Europe is an innovation powerhouse, but its ability to make a lasting impact in the battery sector will ultimately depend on whether the continent can summon the necessary appetite for risk to support these high-stakes, long-term technological endeavors. The report also notes that could the answer lie at an almost unimaginably small scale. The report also notes that an increasing number of investors and researchers think so. The report also notes that but it’s at that level that some of the most consequential work is being done, a single nanometre is one-billionth of a metre. The report also notes that but it has taken 10 years to get to this point â the very definition of the time and investment required for so-called Deep Tech innovations, commercial-scale production will start at the end of 2026. The report also notes that it’s no coincidence that LeydenJar’s factory is in the Dutch city of Eindhoven – home to ASML and other important players in the computer chip industry. The report also notes that a lot of people talk theoretically about ecosystems; I can tell you this is one of our sources of competitive advantage,” Rood says. The report also notes that industrialization requires you to work with the semiconductor technology and suppliers, it’s really the crossover from semiconductors to batteries that makes us different – once you’ve demonstrated the principle in the lab. The report also notes that but also a lot of opportunity in terms of patenting, in terms of securing your whole intellectual property, that means a lot of risk.
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