Hydrovolt and IFE sign long-term agreement to advance joint R&D initiatives

Hydrovolt and The Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) have entered into a long-term agreement going beyond traditional project-based collaborations. The agreement gives direct access to IFE’s extensive infrastructure enabling the development of new methods and accelerating innovation in battery recycling.

The flexible framework of the agreement allows the partners to adapt R&D activities as technologies and market needs evolve, making this a model for how research institutions can help industry succeed where it matters most.

“Battery recycling is a cornerstone of the circular economy. Through urban mining, it is possible to recover valuable materials from end-of-life batteries, reducing the need for virgin resources. Hydrovolt’s approach is promising because it combines industrial scale with a clear commitment to innovation. For IFE, staying close to industry is vital to remain relevant in a fast-moving field like batteries,” says Sanna Sommer, Head of Battery Department at IFE.

Hydrovolt has ongoing projects and consortium projects with IFE and other collaborative partners, on the characterization of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries for improved recycling efficiency. However, both partners saw the need for a tighter, more dynamic and flexible collaboration.

“IFE is a strong research environment, and we look forward to continuing working with them on a long-term basis. To use IFE’s know-how on battery materials and batteries will be highly relevant for the development and improvement of our operational processes and products recovered through our recycling solutions,” says Helge Refsum, Chief Technology Officer in Hydrovolt.

As part of the long-term agreement, Hydrovolt’s Quality and Laboratory Engineer, Anna Grosås Skaugen, will serve as a guest researcher at IFE. In this role, she will work part-time at IFE’s facilities, focusing on developing and refining methods for quality assurance and material characterization.

By using IFE’s facilities, Hydrovolt gains access to a wide range of state-of-the-art equipment that the company, as a start-up, does not yet possess. This includes instruments such as X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Total Amount of Carbon-analysis (TOC), and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), which are essential for conducting advanced analyses. These tools support both troubleshooting and ad-hoc investigations, as well as the development and refinement of new methods for routine quality control.

The agreement will facilitate new knowledge relevant for more efficient and safer battery recycling processes and solutions, and an example of a win-win collaboration between a research institution and commercial, operational facility scaling up solutions in a developing battery recycling market.


For press inquiries:

Amanda Gran
Head of Communication & Public Affairs, Hydrovolt
+47 90560611 | amanda.gran@hydrovolt.com

Sanna Sommer
Research Manager, Battery Technology, IFE
+47 46756156 | sanna.sommer@ife.no