CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Anovion Technologies (Anovion), the climate tech-driven advanced materials company, today announced the appointment of Vikram Rao as a member of its Advisory Board, acting as Anovion’s first Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Dr. Rao remains Executive Director at the Research Triangle Energy Consortium (RTEC), which he has led since retiring as its Chief Technology Officer after 34 years at Halliburton.
“Vikram’s combination of expertise in carbon reduction strategies, extensive renewable energy experience, and his deep background in materials science will provide immediate impact and leadership to Anovion’s broader technology implementation and help execute Anovion’s strategic vision to be the leading supplier of low carbon footprint advanced materials for batteries,” said Chip Dunn, Executive Chairman of Anovion. Mr. Dunn added, “Although we may look like a start-up today, Anovion has ambitious expansion plans where innovation, especially around net zero operations, will help fuel growth not just in the near-term, but for the next 100 years as America can lead the world in this energy transition story.”
Dr. Rao currently leads the effort at RTEC to address national and global energy priorities. His technology leadership at Halliburton was important in enabling U.S. energy independence, insulating it from the recent energy shocks faced by Europe. He is also an advisor to several start-ups and later-stage companies across the energy transition and biotech spectra, as well as the non-profit RTI International. Dr. Rao is the author of more than 40 publications, including five books on energy, has been awarded over 40 U.S. patents, and holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University and an undergraduate engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology.
“In this new role, I am eager to work with the advisory board and management team of Anovion to not only capitalize on its impressive portfolio of current and development stage IP but also work closely with the next generation of Anovion leaders to build a sustainable organization focused on growth and innovation,” said Dr. Rao. He added, “Anovion came together through the merger of two carve out transactions among predecessor companies with long histories of new technology adoption. Therefore, channeling and prioritizing the growing portfolio and developing the broader climate tech-driven strategies will be my initial focus to empower Anovion in building scalable, de-carbonizing infrastructure to support the U.S. battery and advanced materials supply chain to further enable the transition to a clean energy economy.”
To demonstrate the company’s commitment to continued growth, innovation, and sustainability, Anovion is also announcing today that it is rebranding the company as Anovion Technologies. Its new website address is www.anoviontech.com. Mr. Dunn added, “Anovion may be an anode-grade synthetic graphite company today, but the future of Anovion Technologies is to be a world-class climate tech-driven advanced materials company.”
About Anovion Technologies
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Anovion Technologies is a U.S.-owned and U.S.-based, advanced materials business, currently America’s first commercial scale manufacturer of premium, cleaner anode-grade synthetic graphite across its existing footprint near Niagara Falls, NY and Clarksburg, WV. As a leader in innovation and production of lithium-ion battery materials, Anovion began commercial production in early 2021 and is among a limited number of graphite anode producers in America to have successfully gained qualification for EV applications.
In 2022, Anovion was awarded a grant totaling $117 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to rapidly scale production capacity to meet growing demand with the construction of a large-scale factory in the southeastern U.S. and investment in its relocated Advanced technology Center of Excellence (ACE) in Sanborn, NY. Anovion is now commencing a multi-year expansion program of 150,000 metric tonnes of annual capacity for anode-grade synthetic graphite.
With a strategic vision focused on growth and innovation, Anovion Technologies is working across multiple vectors to build a leadership position in America’s energy transition and national security story, from electrochemistry development to production process technology improvements, to ambitious climate tech initiatives including the goal to become carbon neutral over time and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, thereby positioning Anovion among the climate tech leaders of the future.