Porous Power and Ahlstrom Corporation Team to Commercialize Ultra-Safe Separators for EV Batteries

BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Porous Power Technologies, LLC, manufacturer of SYMMETRIX^® battery separators, announces a new strategic partnership. Finland-based Ahlstrom Corporation has purchased a 49 percent stake in Porous Power.

“Porous Power has been incorporating an Ahlstrom nonwoven into its engineered separator product over the last few years”

Ahlstrom, a global high-performance materials company, serves a variety of industries including energy storage, marine, building, flooring, wall covering and specialty applications. Together, the firms will commercialize a new generation of engineered battery separator solutions for electric vehicles and other lithium-ion battery applications.

“This partnership represents an important transition,” says Porous Power’s CEO Tim Feaver. “We’ve moved from being a highly-promising technology developer to an established entity with the backing of a $2.5 billion global company.”

Ahlstrom has been developing lightweight nonwoven materials for lithium-ion membrane separators since 2008. “Porous Power has been incorporating an Ahlstrom nonwoven into its engineered separator product over the last few years,” notes Bernard Perry, Chief Business Development Officer at Porous Power.

“SYMMETRIX is poised to be the separator of choice for electric vehicle manufacturers,” says Kirby Beard, Porous Power’s Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder, and holder of two of the earliest patents for practical lithium-ion battery designs. “Third-party battery producers and various government laboratories have validated SYMMETRIX’s superior performance capabilities and abuse tolerance—properties essential for full-scale commercialization of ultra-safe electric vehicle batteries.”

Ahlstrom brings financial, logistical and organizational resources to the partnership, including worldwide distribution channels. Porous Power’s membrane technology is highly compatible with Ahlstrom’s nonwovens and opens new doors for Ahlstrom beyond energy storage. The technology can enable advances in filtration, barrier fabrics for the construction and healthcare industries, and other high-value applications.

Porous Power Technologies, LLC (www.porouspower.com and http://twitter.com/PorousPower) makes electrode separators that reduce the cost and improve the safety, performance, efficiency and life of lithium-ion batteries, particularly large-format cells for electric vehicles, stationary power and consumer electronics applications.

Ahlstrom has a leading market position in the businesses in which it operates. Its 5,700 employees serve customers in 26 countries on six continents. In 2010, Ahlstrom's net sales amounted to EUR 1.9 billion. The company's share is quoted on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki. More information available at www.ahlstrom.com.