EV Battery Analytics Provider Liminal Raises $10 Million

Liminal, which uses ultrasound and machine learning to improve the quality and performance of batteries, announced that it has closed a $10 million strategic investment round led by LG Technology Ventures, the venture capital arm of the LG Group. The round also included new support from Chailease Holdings as well as participation from other current investors, including ArcTern Ventures, University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners, Good Growth Capital, Chrysalix Ventures, and Ecosystem Integrity Fund.

Liminal’s quality control solutions use ultrasound inspection and physics-informed data science to deliver insights to battery cell manufacturers, including those making batteries for electric vehicles (EVs).  The technology helps accelerate production ramp-up, improve quality, and reduce scrap and costs, according to the company. The system inspects cells for defects, and diagnoses issues that could affect battery performance such as separator folds and wrinkles, electrode misalignments, tab weld defects, residual gas, lithium plating, and foreign particles in cells.

Robert McIntyre, managing director at LG Technology Ventures, said:

“LG Technology Ventures is committed to investing in companies we believe have the power to move industries forward. The current state of the EV market and the challenges manufacturers are having in scaling battery production demonstrates the pressing need to solve for battery quality—an area where Liminal has demonstrated success.”

Liminal deployed its in-line inspection product in Gigafactory, a European EV battery manufacturing plant late last year, has an active pilot with a major Asian battery cell manufacturer, and will be deploying with a US-based automotive OEM in the coming weeks, the company said.

Andrew Hsieh, co-founder and CEO of Liminal, said:

“We’re thrilled to have the support of a leading corporate investor known for facilitating strategic relationships between its portfolio companies and LG companies. We are also grateful for the continued support from our existing investor base. This funding will enable us to more rapidly deploy our quality control solutions with more customers and into more production lines.”