lithium-ion-alternative
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Blue Current, Inc.
Blue Current is a Hayward, California solid-state battery developer building what it calls a 'silicon-first,' fully dry battery platform. Its Silicon Elastic Composite chemistry ties glass-ceramic electrolyte particles to silicon anode particles with compliant polymers, constraining silicon swelling so high-silicon cells can cycle stably at low pressure without flammable liquids or PFAS. Positioned as a safety-focused, B2B licensing and pilot-manufacturing company, Blue Current targets electric mobility, grid-scale storage, and consumer devices, and closed an $80M+ Series D extension led by Amazon in December 2025.
XL Batteries
XL Batteries is a Marlborough, Massachusetts startup building an Organic Flow Battery for grid-scale, long-duration energy storage. Spun out of Columbia University chemistry research, the company uses proprietary organic molecules dissolved in pH-neutral water instead of vanadium in acid - producing a non-flammable, non-toxic, non-corrosive battery assembled from commodity pumps, tanks and tubes. The pitch: safe, scalable storage that can run for 10, 20, even 50 hours by simply enlarging the tanks, at costs targeted below lithium-ion for long durations.