Recently, Primavera Venture Partners announced that it is leading the Angel Investment financing for Hytzer, a solid-state battery innovation company. Hytzer Energy (“Hytzer”), established in 2022, has a founding team with 17 years of research experience. The company is focused on the future energy transition, primarily developing and producing next-generation solid-state lithium-ion batteries, providing system solutions. Its applications cover areas such as cable-free underwater robots, drones, energy storage, and the power battery market.
Green and low-carbon investment is a long-term focus for Primavera. Previously, Primavera has invested in leading companies in the carbon-neutral industry at different stages, such as Envision, XPeng Motors, Zhuhai Cosmx, NIO, Hellobike, ProLogium Technology, and Starfield.
With the popularity of new energy vehicles, the installed capacity and market demand for power batteries are growing rapidly. However, their shortcomings in safety and energy density have not yet been effectively addressed. Solid-state batteries, as an ideal solution to these challenges, have gained widespread attention in the market.
Solid-state batteries use a solid-state electrolyte to replace the traditional flammable organic small-molecule liquid electrolyte. Through innovative material systems, they solve the thermal runaway problem caused by electrolyte loss after battery cell damage, thereby improving the battery's intrinsic safety and lithium-ion transport mechanism efficiency.
Currently, there are three main technologies for solid-state electrolytes: oxides, sulfides, and polymers. Hytzer is based on the polymer electrolyte route, which offers wide temperature ranges and high ionic conductivity. By combining excellent mechanical strength and toughness with a high-conductivity rigid skeleton, the company has improved the structural stability of batteries. They have pioneered a new type of solid-state lithium battery that can withstand pressures of over 110MPa, laying a solid foundation for future battery applications in complex working conditions, especially in new energy vehicles.
The company's patented in-situ curing design, granted in 2014, has been widely recognized globally. Through this unique process, the polymer electrolyte is cured in place, enabling the fusion of the electrolyte with the electrode and the solid-solid interface, leading to battery integration. This approach allows the electrode, rigid skeleton, and electrolyte of the battery to grow as an organic whole, overcoming the high impedance of solid-solid interface contact, a major scientific bottleneck in solid-state batteries.
Thus far, Hytzer's products have undergone over 5 years of repeated application and verification in various demanding scenarios. For instance, as a deep-sea power supply system, it operated continuously for 26 days at the bottom of the 10,000-meter Mariana Trench, enduring -2℃ working temperatures and over 1,100 times atmospheric pressure. The company has delivered over 68 batches of its power system products, achieving over 8,000 hours of safe and accident-free operation.
The team has accumulated extensive experience in the mass production and batch production of solid-state lithium batteries. They have achieved significant results in the practical application of special power supplies for deep-sea and deep-space applications.
The Hytzer team has long been dedicated to the field of solid-state batteries and energy, accumulating rich experience. Chief Scientist Dr. Cui Guanglei has accumulated 17 years of research experience in the field of solid-state lithium batteries, published 396 high-quality international academic papers with 16,163 citations, and has an h-index of 85, indicating significant international academic influence. The team holds over 200 domestic and international core patents on solid-state batteries. Dr. Cui Guanglei is also a recipient of the State Council Special Allowance, and serves as the Deputy Chief of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Deep-sea Intelligent Technology Pioneer. He is also the project leader for deep-sea solid-state energy, an Outstanding Youth of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, a leading young science and technology talent of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China, and the chief scientist of the key special project of high-specific-energy solid-state lithium battery technology for new energy vehicles of the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology. CEO Dr. Dou Xi, who holds a PhD in Organic Synthesis and an MBA from INSEAD, has accumulated profound experience in R&D and strategic planning in international energy and chemical giants.
Hytzer is dedicated to translating the next-generation high-safety, high-energy-density solid-state lithium battery technology and rich production experience into advanced products, introducing them to the market for the benefit of the public, and contributing to the achievement of zero-carbon energy transition.
As an integral part of the new energy industry, solid-state batteries are strategically important for realizing the national goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. In the future, Primavera Venture Partners will support Hytzer in seizing new opportunities in energy transformation, with a focus on material innovation and green technology. Together, they aim to help optimize and upgrade national industries, promoting steady and high-quality economic development.