Skeleton invests €220m to build the largest supercapacitor factory

The production line is to be used in a new Skeleton factory in Markranstädt, Leipzig – Skeleton’s second manufacturing site in Saxony. The economies of wscale provided using Siemens’ cutting-edge technology, combined with the use of Skeleton’s patented ‘curved graphene’ material, are expected to lower the production costs by almost 90% after the completion of this 5 years project. 

The collaboration aims to achieve the digitisation of Skeleton's entire value chain – from supercapacitor cell design to production and services – and scale up the production of next-gen supercapacitors.

Siemens supports this with its comprehensive Digital Enterprise portfolio as well as domain know-how in industrial battery cell production. Furthermore, it is planned to further expand the business relations between the two companies. 

Skeleton's supercapacitors are used in transport, grid, industrial, and automotive applications and allow to reduce CO2 emissions and save energy. With the use of patented ‘curved graphene’ material, Skeleton's supercapacitors offer the highest power and energy density on the market, almost instant charging and discharging, high reliability, and very long lifetimes. They contribute to improving power quality and protecting equipment and infrastructure by lowering the power fluctuation, and to powering electrification.

"Supercapacitors are a key element in dramatically reducing emissions in the power generation, transportation and industrial sectors," explained Taavi Madiberk, CEO, and co-founder of Skeleton Technologies. 

"With our holistic automation and digitalisation portfolio, we can use the appropriate tools and our industrial know-how together with Skeleton, from greenfield planning to factory simulation and optimised high-end production, to realise a highly efficient, fully automated production line that is unique in the world," stated Guido Feind, Head of Siemens Digital Industries Germany. 

The factory for the next gen of supercapacitor cells in Markranstädt is scheduled to start production in 2024 and produce up to twelve million cells a year. The factory will have 40x more output than Skeleton’s other site in Saxony, which will continue as an R&D factory in the future, and 240 jobs are expected to be created.

Skeleton will invest €220m in Saxony in scaling up production. Out of the investments, €100m will be invested in manufacturing equipment in Leipzig area and €120m for scale-up and R&D. 

"Electrification and decarbonisation require key enabling technologies and supercapacitors are one of them. The various applications of this technology provide enormous help in electrifying sectors of industry where electrification cannot be efficiently implemented with batteries," said Parliamentary State Secretary Michael Kellner. “Skeleton’s use of their own patented ‘curved graphene‘ material strengthens the European energy storage ecosystem and value chain as it is a technology developed in Europe to manufacture energy storage products in Europe. In the current context, not relying on imported toxic metals is becoming even more critical. Skeleton's choice to open a new production facility in Saxony also underscores the attractiveness and importance of eastern Germany as a business location.” 

"A number of Siemens business units are already Skeleton's customers and as the energy transition gathers pace, we see the volumes increasing. The strong relationship will be further cemented thanks to this partnership, we will now also benefit from their world-class expertise in electrification, automation and digitalisation to expand our manufacturing," said Dr. Linus Froböse, Chief Operating Officer of Skeleton Technologies. "This ramp-up will allow us to meet market demand for our next-generation products and make our new factory the largest and most modern supercapacitor factory in Europe." 

"With our supercapacitors with the highest power density in the industry, we see great potential for further cooperation with Siemens, especially in the areas of mobility, grid stability and heavy-duty applications. Siemens already uses our supercapacitors for their high-power energy storage. Skeleton and Siemens both believe that the global economy is undergoing structural changes in some of the largest CO2 emission sources such as power generation, transport, and industry. Supercapacitors are a key element in drastically reducing emissions in these sectors. In the field of energy storage and saving, technology and innovation play a crucial role in enabling the global economy to achieve climate goals," added Taavi Madiberk.