Lithium batteries power everything from phones to electric cars, but lithium is scarce and Europe has almost none of it. This project bet on calcium — one of the most common elements on Earth — as a replacement. The team developed a special solid plastic material (an ionomer) that acts as both the battery's internal conductor and its glue, removing the need for liquid chemicals that can leak or catch fire. Their goal was to build a working calcium battery prototype that stores as much energy as today's best lithium batteries, but made from materials Europe actually has.
Europe's battery industry depends almost entirely on imported lithium, creating supply chain risks and price volatility that threaten the electric vehicle and energy storage sectors. Current lithium-ion batteries also use flammable liquid electrolytes that pose safety challenges and add manufacturing complexity. There is urgent need for alternative battery chemistries based on abundant, locally available materials that are inherently safer.
The team developed nanocomposite ionomer materials that serve as both solid electrolyte and electrode binder for calcium batteries, upscaling production to 1 kg. They targeted ultra-thin solid membranes of 1 µm and built a calcium battery prototype aiming for energy density comparable to current lithium-ion technology, producing 24 deliverables across the project.
If you are a battery manufacturer worried about lithium supply chain risks and price volatility — this project developed solid-state calcium ionomer electrolytes scaled up to the 1 kg level that could enable a new generation of batteries built from abundant European raw materials. The solvent-free design eliminates flammable liquid electrolytes, reducing safety engineering costs.
If you are an EV company looking to reduce dependence on lithium and cobalt imports — this project targeted calcium battery prototypes with energy density similar to state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries. Calcium is far more abundant and cheaper, and the solid electrolyte design (targeting 1 µm thickness) improves safety by removing flammable liquids entirely.
If you are a grid storage operator concerned about long-term material availability for large-scale deployments — this project explored calcium-based battery chemistry using sustainable European ores. The 10-partner consortium across 4 countries built expertise in solvent-free electrode processing, which could drastically lower manufacturing environmental impact for utility-scale storage.
The project does not provide specific cost projections. However, calcium is roughly 2,500 times more abundant in the Earth's crust than lithium and is widely available in Europe, which strongly suggests lower raw material costs. The solvent-free manufacturing process could also reduce production costs by eliminating expensive liquid electrolyte handling.
The project demonstrated upscaling of its key ionomer material (Ca-IONO) to the 1 kg level, which is a meaningful step from lab-scale grams. However, this is still far from industrial production volumes. Significant scale-up engineering would be needed before gigafactory-level manufacturing.
As an EU-funded RIA project with 10 partners including 6 universities and 3 research organizations, IP is likely distributed among consortium members. Companies interested in licensing should contact the coordinator at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Specific patent filings are not detailed in the available data.
The project's stated objective was achieving energy density similar to state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries. Based on available project data, whether this target was fully met in the prototype stage is not confirmed in the deliverable descriptions provided.
The solid-state, solvent-free design is inherently safer than conventional lithium batteries with liquid electrolytes. By eliminating flammable solvents and targeting ultra-thin solid electrolytes of 1 µm, the risk of thermal runaway and fire is substantially reduced. This addresses one of the biggest safety concerns in current battery technology.
This was a FET Open research project (fundamental exploration), which ran from 2019 to 2023. The technology demonstrated material upscaling to 1 kg and prototype-level validation. Based on available project data, commercial deployment would likely require another 5-8 years of development, pilot testing, and certification.
The VIDICAT consortium of 10 partners spans 4 European countries (Germany, Spain, France, Italy) and is heavily research-oriented: 6 universities and 3 research organizations make up 90% of the team, with just 1 industrial partner (and 1 SME). This composition is typical for FET Open fundamental research and signals deep scientific expertise but limited near-term commercialization capacity. Any company looking to bring this technology to market would need to provide the industrial scale-up, manufacturing, and go-to-market capabilities that the current consortium lacks. The coordinator, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, is a well-regarded Spanish university with strong materials science programs.
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain) — reach out to the materials science or electrochemistry department for the VIDICAT project lead
Want an introduction to the VIDICAT research team? SciTransfer can connect you with the right people and provide a detailed technology brief tailored to your business needs.
