Zelestium Technologies: Aluminium-Ion Batteries for European Strategic Autonomy
European defence and technology circles are quietly taking notice of a small Spanish battery innovator with outsized ambitions. Zelestium Technologies, based in Soria, Spain, is developing advanced aluminium-ion and aluminium-air batteries – a novel class of “smart” energy storage systems designed to be safer, cleaner, and strategically self-reliant. Founded by veteran battery engineers, Zelestium’s mission initially sounds like a civilian green-tech venture: to revolutionize energy storage for smart grids and electric vehicles. Yet, beneath this green veneer lies a deeply strategic purpose. By eliminating critical raw materials like lithium and cobalt from its batteries, Zelestium is tackling one of Europe’s most pressing security challenges – dependence on foreign suppliers (especially Chinese) for the building blocks of modern power. This quiet startup is positioning itself at the nexus of energy and security, aiming to bolster European strategic autonomy in an era when battery technology underpins both clean transitions and cutting-edge defence capabilities. The story of Zelestium offers a compelling glimpse into how Europe’s quest for supply-chain sovereignty and NATO’s drive for energy resilience might converge, powered by an unassuming Spanish innovator with technology that could rewrite the rules of the battery game.