FZ Sonick will be headquartered in Stabio, Switzerland where MES-DEA currently operates its manufacturing facility, while research and development efforts will take place at FIAMM’s headquarters in Italy.
The new company has purchased all patents, intellectual property and manufacturing equipment that were previously owned by MES-DEA, as part of the financial terms of the partnership.
According to FIAMM, the new company’s Sonick-branded sodium-nickel-chloride product portfolio will improve energy storage in wireless cell sites, telecom data centers, uninterruptible power supplies, wheelchairs, buses, trains, and electric utility SmartGrid applications.
Cesare Sinigaglia, former general manager of MES-DEA and new managing co-director of FZ Sonick, said: “After more than 10 years of steady testing and growth in the transportation sector, we are now ready to also focus on the stationary applications of this innovative energy storage technology.”
According to Nicola Cosciani, director of strategic development at FIAMM and new managing co-director of FZ Sonick, the Sonick advanced battery technology delivers increased capacity, longer lifecycle, zero emissions, low-cost raw materials, enhanced safety, and high energy density that reduces the battery size and weight compared to lithium ion and lead acid batteries.
Cosciani said: “Through this partnership, FIAMM is now able to offer a unique solution in the form of the Sonick batteries that are a clean and renewable energy. They are durable and reliable, and can be recycled completely because of their composition of salt and nickel.”
FZ Sonick plans to increase annual production to 170MW from the 90MW in order to meet projected market demand for energy storage solutions. The company is evaluating additional manufacturing capacity for this advanced battery technology in North America, Cosciani added.
