VoltStorage is, so to speak, a "typical" Munich startup. The team is made up of former TUM students whose goal is to build the safest and most economical energy storage system for private households with solar systems. In other words, solar energy should be available around the clock and also affordable.
Michael Peither The co-founder of VoltStorage became aware of a problem during his studies: solar energy storage systems are expensive, very expensive in fact. He wanted to change this lack of cost-effectiveness and intensified his research. To do so, he took a semester off and conducted experiments in his parents' basement. This is how the first prototype was born. The core team of VoltStorage formed around him, based on shared interests. Michael is an electrical engineer and industrial engineer. Jakob Bitner Business economist and Felix Kiefl Mechanical engineer and electrical engineer. The Munich-based founding trio boasts a good mix of skills.
Cheaper, more practical, safer!
What distinguishes the young startup and its technology from its competitors on the market?
"Almost all manufacturers of such batteries focus on lithium-ion technology. This type of battery is flammable and loses performance and capacity over time. An effect that everyone should be familiar with from smartphones."
says co-founder Jacob. And further:
"Our product, the VoltStorage, is based on vanadium redox flow technology and is non-flammable because the electrolyte is water. It can be charged and discharged virtually infinitely without loss of power or capacity."
This type of battery has so far only been used in large-scale applications, roughly the size of a shipping container, and has always been assembled by hand. VoltStorage has been able to minimize the battery to the size of a small refrigerator and, according to the company, significantly reduce costs through new and cheaper materials and a standardized production process.
The young company from the state capital is currently busy building a strong local team and launching pre-production of its battery. From September 2016 to January 2017, development continued in China. In addition, the founders were able to establish a new factory at the turn of the year. secure important financing.
Why Munich?
Since Michael and his co-founders studied at TUM and have long been connected to the city itself, as well as to the startup centers of Munich's two major universities, they had no other option when choosing a location.
"Munich also offers a diverse group of highly interesting individuals, aka employees. Not to mention the many technology companies in and around Munich. This concentrated expertise is otherwise hard to find. The decision to establish our headquarters here was therefore an easy one."
The VoltStorage team is certainly not afraid of the future. Quite the opposite:
"The energy industry is facing fundamental changes. The major energy suppliers are struggling, and someone has to make money in the future."
