Sweden is becoming a European heavyweight in battery manufacturing, fueled by its huge renewable energy resources, a rich industrial history and ambitious climate targets. The country is home to one of the world’s largest lithium-ion manufacturing campuses, leading sodium-ion developers and innovative nickel-metal hydride and zinc-ion producers. What distinguishes Sweden’s battery ecosystem is a fabulous array of chemistry approaches ranging from mainstream lithium-ion for automotive and grid storage to next-generation sodium-ion, safe nickel-based hydride batteries and sustainable zinc-ion solutions.
The sector is currently in the midst of a big transformation. In early 2026, the US-based Lyten acquired the insolvent Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt in a deal worth almost $5 billion, creating Lyten Sweden. The new entity now runs the largest battery R&D center in Europe and a 16 GWh production plant. Alongside this industrial behemoth, a thriving ecosystem of innovative companies is developing alternative chemistries to overcome the limitations of traditional lithium-ion batteries. These five firms are the most powerful actors across this landscape.
Top 5 Battery Manufacturing Companies in Sweden
- Lyten Sweden (formerly Northvolt)
- Altris
- Nilar International AB
- Enerpoly AB
- Ligna
A Closer Look at the Top 5 Battery Manufacturing Companies in Sweden
1. Lyten Sweden (formerly Northvolt)
That entity, now called Lyten Sweden, was formed when US-based Lyten bought Northvolt’s Swedish operations in early 2026 in a deal that closed at nearly $5 billion . The acquisition comprises Northvolt Ett and Ett Expansion in Skellefteå (Europe’s first home-grown gigafactory) and Northvolt Labs in Västerås (Europe’s largest and most advanced battery research and development centre). Today the company is a transatlantic battery powerhouse that combines Silicon Valley innovation with Swedish engineering excellence.
Key Points
- Production Capacity: 16 GWh of existing lithium-ion NMC battery production at the Skellefteå facility .
- Core Products: Lithium-ion NMC batteries for battery energy storage systems (BESS), automotive and mobility markets
- Northvolt Labs in Västerås, next-generation development, continues the work on long-life NMC cells and together with Lyten’s Silicon Valley team industrialises lithium-sulfur battery technology for large-scale manufacturing.
- Facilities: Northvolt Ett in Skellefteå (cell production), Northvolt Labs in Västerås (R&D and pilot production).
- Strategic Integration: At Skellefteå, Lyten also built a Lyten Industrial Hub, bringing together battery production and AI-powered data centres. EdgeConneX is planning to buy a data center site from Lyten, which can accommodate a 1-gigawatt campus.
- Lyten is restarting operations and expects to add more than 600 new employees in 12 months.
Achievements
- The acquisition secures Europe’s largest battery R&D centre and a major manufacturing campus, keeping critical IP and talent in Sweden.
- Lyten expects to begin commercial sales of cells from Northvolt Ett to support its BESS manufacturing facility in Gdańsk, Poland, during the second half of 2026 .
- The company regains access to substantial EU funding and infrastructure investments.
- Positions Sweden as a hub for both conventional lithium-ion and next-generation lithium-sulfur technologies.
Feedback
The Lyten purchase is seen by industry onlookers as a rescue of Europe’s flagship battery champion following Northvolt’s March 2025 bankruptcy filing. Lyten’s lithium-sulfur technology has the potential to leapfrog conventional lithium-ion, offering higher energy density without cobalt, nickel, or manganese. But the new owners will face the same challenges of scaling up production and winning customer contracts in a very competitive world market.
Contact Information
Website: https://www.lyten.com
2. Altris
Based in Uppsala, Altris is a leading developer of sodium-ion battery technology based on its proprietary Fennac® cathode material. Sodium-ion batteries are a sustainable alternative to lithium-ion ones, based on abundant, low-cost and non-conflict raw materials and with improved safety. It has quickly moved from technology development to industrial implementation, forming strategic partnerships and investments to scale up production. Altris was named in the 2026 Global Cleantech 100 for its impact on industry .
Key Points
- Core Product: Sodium-ion batteries with Fennac® cathode material – sodium iron phosphate chemistry
- Target applications: Stationary energy storage Low-voltage mobility and thin-cell electronics for wearables and IoT devices.
- Industrial Partnership (2026): Altris has received a €19.3 million in-kind strategic investment from Czech specialty chemicals group Draslovka. Draslovka’s Kolín plant will upgrade an existing production line to produce Altris’ cathode active material (CAM) of up to 350 tonnes per year (equivalent to ~175 MWh of cell capacity) with production starting in late 2026.
- Clarios Collaboration: Altris has expanded its collaboration with Clarios, a strategic investor, for sodium-ion technology for automotive applications.
- Research partnership: Involvement in a Vinnova-funded project together with Ligna, RISE and Jemac to develop the world’s first ultrathin sodium-ion battery using roll-to-roll manufacturing.
Achievements
- Backed by EIT InnoEnergy as a strategic European battery innovator.
- Rapid progress from technology development to industrial deployment with a committed industrial partner.
- The approach enables rapid, capital-efficient industrialization by leveraging existing infrastructure and process expertise while anchoring production firmly in Europe.
Feedback
Altris is considered a leader in the sodium-ion space in Europe and has a clear pathway to commercialization. Sodium-ion batteries are safer than lithium-ion (no thermal runaway) and do not require critical raw materials, providing a strong value proposition for Altris in stationary storage and applications sensitive to risk of fire. The company’s approach to transition from in-house pilot production to a licensing and partnership model for scaling is seen as a realistic path to market.
Contact Information
Website: https://www.altris.se
3. Nilar International AB
Nilar International, based in Gävle, develops and manufactures nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries for stationary energy storage. Nilar’s hydride batteries are non-flammable and inherently safe for in-home and office installations, unlike lithium-ion batteries. The manufacturing process is much less energy intensive than lithium-ion. Batteries contain no scarce materials and are 100% recyclable. Nilar is fully integrated from cell to system, including electronics and control software and does not depend on the import of cells from Asia.
Key Points
- Core Product: Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries for stationary energy storage.
- Target Applications: Residential solar storage, commercial and industrial buildings, EV charging buffering.
- Safety: Non-flammable, can be installed in-house and in offices, next to critical installations.
- EIB Financing (2026): The European Investment Bank signed a €47 million (SEK 482 million) loan with Nilar, supported by the EU’s InnovFin “Energy Demo Projects” guarantee program. The financing will support expansion and upgrading of manufacturing lines at its Gävle facility and boost R&D to demonstrate commercial viability.
- European Production: Does not rely on cell imports from Asia; production and innovation are European-based.
Achievements
- Secured a €47 million EIB loan backed by the EU InnovFin program.
- Demonstrated commercial viability for home storage and fast EV charging.
- Received explicit recognition from the EIB as a complementary European battery technology to lithium-ion.
- Manufacturing process is much less energy-intensive than lithium-ion.
Feedback
Nilar occupies a special position in the Swedish battery ecosystem. Safety credentials second to none for indoor installations (schools, apartments, hospitals). Independence from imported cells provides supply chain security. However, NiMH has lower energy density than modern lithium-ion and is therefore less suitable for weight-sensitive applications such as EVs. A pragmatic market fit is the company’s focus on commercial and industrial stationary storage where safety and longevity are more important than density.
Contact Information
Website: https://smartcitysweden.com/companies/1769/nilar-international-ab/
4. Enerpoly AB
Enerpoly is a Swedish start-up developing zinc-ion battery storage systems for stationary energy storage applications. Zinc-ion technology is a cheaper and greener alternative to lithium-ion, using abundant, non-toxic materials. The company is focusing on long duration storage applications with durations of 2 to 10 hours. Enerpoly receives large public funding to set up a customer qualification line and pave the way for high-volume manufacturing in Sweden.
Key Points
- Core Product: Zinc-ion stationary energy storage battery.
- The target applications are stationary energy storage systems with discharge times of between two and ten hours.
- SWEZIP Project: The Swedish Zinc-ion Plant (SWEZIP) project, funded by the Swedish Energy Agency, aims to set up a customer qualification line to demonstrate scalable production of zinc-ion batteries. The project runs from November 2023 to November 2026 and has a total budget of SEK 70.2 million, with the Swedish Energy Agency contributing 45 percent.
- Scale-Up Plans: Enerpoly intends to scale production to 100 MWh/year by 2026.
- Value Proposition: Provides stationary energy storage solution integrators with cost-effective and sustainable batteries. Potential customers are interested because zinc-ion has a higher return on energy storage projects.
Achievements
- SEK 70.2 million in public funding for a pilot production line.
- Targeting 100 MWh annual production capacity by 2026.
- Aims to achieve low CO₂ footprint through energy-efficient production, setting new global benchmarks for sustainable battery manufacturing.
- Contributes to supply chain control and traceability for European battery production.
Feedback
“Enerpoly fills a critical gap in the stationary storage market: low-cost, safe and sustainable batteries for longer-duration applications. Zinc-ion technology avoids the cost and supply risks associated with lithium, cobalt and nickel. But Enerpoly is, like other emerging battery technologies, a startup still establishing its customer qualification line and faces the same scaling challenges. The successful completion of the SWEZIP project will be an important step towards commercial viability.
Contact Information
Linkedin: Enerpoly
5. Ligna
Ligna is a Swedish company developing the world’s first ultra-thin sodium-ion battery for the next generation of connected devices. The company leads a collaborative project, funded by Vinnova, that combines breakthrough sodium-ion chemistry from Altris, advanced roll-to-roll thin-cell manufacturing (Ligna’s own technology), hardware integration from Jemac and testing and validation by RISE Research Institutes of Sweden.
Key Points
- Core Product: Ultrathin sodium-ion batteries using roll-to-roll (R2R) manufacturing.
- Target Applications: Wearables, connected devices, IoT systems—any application requiring thin, flexible and safe energy storage.
- Collaborative Model: Ligna leads the project, with Altris supplying sodium-ion chemistry and materials, Jemac handling hardware and systems integration and RISE providing testing, validation and technical assessment.
- Project Funding: Total budget of SEK 8.07 million for the two-year project (LIGNA-R2R).
- Swedish Manufacturing: Designed and manufactured in Sweden, strengthening European battery innovation and supply chain independence.
Achievements
- Developing the world’s first documented ultrathin sodium-ion battery.
- Secured Vinnova funding for a two-year collaborative R&D project.
- Combines advanced roll-to-roll manufacturing with industrialized sodium-ion chemistry from Altris.
- Positioned as a breakthrough technology for the next era of connected devices.
Feedback
Ligna is a very specialized player in the battery market for ultra-thin, flexible energy storage for IoT and wearables. The collaborative model—combining materials science (Altris), manufacturing (Ligna), integration (Jemac) and validation (RISE)—is seen as an efficient route to commercialization. The sodium-ion chemistry makes it safer than lithium-ion thin-film batteries (no thermal runaway). The project is still in development, but it is not yet confirmed to be commercially available.
Contact Information
Website: https://www.lignaenergy.com/
FAQ
What happened to Northvolt?
Northvolt, Europe’s former lead battery champion, was forced to file for bankruptcy in Sweden in March 2025 after having suffered production problems, order cancellations and financial strain. In February-March 2026, US-based Lyten completed the acquisition of Northvolt’s Swedish assets, including the Skellefteå gigafactory and Västerås R&D center, for around $5 billion. The new entity is called Lyten Sweden.
Which Swedish battery manufacturer makes lithium-ion batteries?
Lyten Sweden produces lithium-ion NMC batteries at its Skellefteå facility, targeting battery energy storage systems (BESS), automotive and mobility markets. The company also plans to industrialize lithium-sulfur batteries through its Västerås R&D center.
What is a sodium-ion battery and why is it important?
Sodium-ion batteries use abundant and cheap materials (salt, iron and manganese) rather than scarce lithium, cobalt and nickel. They are more sustainable and intrinsically safer (no thermal runaway). Sweden’s (and Europe’s) leading sodium-ion innovator Altris plans to start industrial cathode production in late 2026.
Which Swedish battery is safest for indoor use?
Nilar’s nickel-metal hydride batteries are non-flammable and can be installed in homes, offices, schools and hospitals—next to critical equipment—without the fire safety concerns of lithium-ion systems.
What is Enerpoly’s zinc-ion technology?
Enerpoly develops zinc-ion batteries for stationary energy storage with discharge times between two and ten hours. Zinc-ion batteries use abundant and non-toxic materials and aim to provide a low-cost, sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries for grid-scale and commercial storage.
Do any Swedish battery manufacturers focus specifically on wearables and IoT?
Yes. Ligna is developing the world‘s first ultrathin sodium-ion battery using roll-to-roll manufacturing technology. These batteries are designed for wearables, connected devices and IoT systems—applications that require thin, flexible and safe energy storage .
Are Swedish batteries fully recyclable?
Nilar claims specifically that its nickel-metal hydride batteries are “easily and fully recyclable.” Most other Swedish battery manufacturers (Altris, Lyten Sweden, Enerpoly and Ligna) also stress recyclability as part of their sustainability focus, although specific claims vary by chemistry.
What funding and support is available for Sweden’s battery industry?
Swedish battery companies have secured substantial financing: Nilar got a loan of €47m from EIB, Altris received €19.3m from Draslovka, Enerpoly secured SEK 70.2m from the Swedish Energy Agency and Ligna received SEK 8.07m from Vinnova. The EU’s Innovation Fund and InvestEU program have also backed Swedish battery projects.
