CBMM, Echion open world’s largest niobium anode production plant in Brazil 

CBMM, a company specializing in the production and commercialization of niobium products, has inaugurated the world’s first volume manufacturing facility dedicated to producing Echion Technologies’ proprietary fast charging XNO active anode material technology.  

The new plant, located in Araxá, Brazil, is the largest Niobium-based anode production facility in the world, capable of producing 2,000 tons per year of XNO, equivalent to 1 GWh of lithium-ion (Li-ion) cells. 

Echion said its niobium-based anode material, XNO enables Li-ion batteries to fast-charge safely, maintain high energy densities even at extreme temperatures, and deliver high power across a cycle life of more than 10,000 cycles. XNO has been specifically engineered to allow electrified heavy-duty industrial, commercial, and mass-transport vehicles to operate with the highest productivity and the lowest total cost of ownership, the company said.  

This facility enables Echion to mass-produce XNO at scale to meet the worldwide demand for the product. Echion said its partnership with CBMM ensures a robust and reliable supply chain for XNO. 

The opening marks a major step forward in the companies’ joint goal of expanding the use of niobium in battery production, CBMM said.  

At the event last week, Jean de La Verpilliere, CEO of Echion Technologies, said the opening of the production plant creates robust supply capacity to meet the significant commercial demand. 

 “XNO is already having a positive impact on our cell manufacturing customers, downstream OEMs, and end-users. Echion is beginning to trade at scale,” he said.