Rivus Batteries raises €2 million to scale critical‑mineral‑free flow battery chemistry

Key highlights
  • Rivus closed a €2 million seed round led by Turbine Capital, with participation from Almi Invest GreenTech and existing investor Xista Science Ventures.
  • The seed round is complemented by €2 million in non‑dilutive grants from Vinnova and the Swedish Energy Agency, bringing recent funding to €4 million.
  • Funding will support electrolyte production scale‑up and customer pilots, with pilots planned over the next 18–24 months.
  • Rivus has developed an aqueous organic electrolyte that stores energy without lithium, cobalt or vanadium and is designed to work with existing commercial flow battery hardware.

Funding and timeline

Swedish developer Rivus Batteries closed a €2 million seed round led by Turbine Capital, with participation from Almi Invest GreenTech and continued backing from Xista Science Ventures. The raise is complemented by €2 million in non‑dilutive grants from Vinnova and the Swedish Energy Agency, bringing recent funding to €4 million. Rivus says the funding will support electrolyte production scale‑up and customer pilots, with the first pilots scheduled over the next 18–24 months.

Technology

Rivus has developed a proprietary aqueous organic electrolyte for flow batteries that avoids lithium, cobalt and vanadium. The company says the electrolyte delivers higher energy density and voltage than conventional flow battery solutions and can be produced using existing industrial chemistry infrastructure. It is designed to be compatible with commercial flow battery hardware, allowing deployment without building a new supply chain.

Market and scale

Backed by InnoEnergy from its early stages, Rivus positions its chemistry against long‑duration energy storage demand by reducing dependence on imported critical minerals while remaining compatible with existing industrial manufacturing. With customer pilots approaching, the company is moving from development toward commercial deployment to address scaling and supply‑chain constraints in European energy storage.

Source: InnoEnergy

chemXplore Weekly

The week’s project milestones and project news from the chemical industry, free every Wednesday.

Free. One email a week. Unsubscribe any time.

Related articles

5 March 2026
Altris and Mecaware Join 2026 EIC Accelerator

Selected for EIC funding, they aim to scale battery materials and recycling, enhancing Europe's clean energy and circular economy efforts.

25 February 2026
Renault's Ampere and Basquevolt Partner on Next-Gen Lithium-Metal Batteries

The partnership aims to advance lithium metal batteries for EVs, enhancing energy density, thermal stability, and cost efficiency, while reducing manufacturing complexity and investment.

12 October 2026
PHENOGY and HDAT to scale sodium‑ion battery systems into series production

Moving from startup to series production via a fabless model and long-term manufacturing deal; regional European manufacturing and sodium‑ion chemistry aim to reduce lithium dependence.

9 October 2026
Arkema showcases battery material solutions at US Battery Show 2026

Highlights binders, PVDF and thermal/safety materials for EV and stationary batteries; 15% PVDF capacity expansion completed in June 2026; visit Booth #2714 Oct 12–15 in Detroit.

14 September 2026
Altris, Clarios and InoBat push sodium‑ion toward pilot‑scale production

Validated cold‑start to −40°C and multi‑segment testing support move from technology development to pilot‑scale and small‑series production readiness.