On Monday, CelLink, a California startup that is said to have developed the world’s largest and most electrically and thermally conductive flexible circuits for use in automobile wiring, battery packs, photovoltaic solar cells, and LED lights, announced that it received a Series C investment from auto parts maker BorgWarner.
The venture round, which CelLink plans to put toward expanding its manufacturing capacity, is part of a larger push by BorgWarner to expand its electrification portfolio to 45 percent of total revenues by 2030.
“CelLink’s superior circuit technology is well suited for a wide range of automotive applications, with great potential for battery packs and next-generation vehicle wiring, and closely aligns with our Charging Forward strategy,” BorgWarner Chief Technology Officer Harry Husted said in a comment on the investment, which was completed earlier this summer. “As one of our many efforts to realize our electrification goals, we anticipate this investment will reinforce and complement the competitive advantage of our products in all major markets and help fulfill our vision of a clean, energy-efficient world.”
Earlier this month, BorgWarner secured contracts to supply dual inverters for two premier Chinese OEMs. The dual inverters will be featured on both hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) versions of the GWM LEMON platform, and the other major Chinese OEM will utilize the technology on its own HEV and PHEV passenger car models.
CelLink was originally funded through a U.S. Department of Energy Sunshot grant and has since received $65 million in follow-on funding. The company’s enhanced flexible circuits are lighter, take up less space, are more electrically and thermally conductive, are more affordable, and are able to span larger areas than traditional flexible circuits, all using absolutely no design-specific tooling (which means, in addition to all of the above, that its minimum order size is one).
And beyond just battery applications, CelLink says its circuits’ properties will enable the development of totally new electronic architectures for cars, combining high-power and high-speed data transmission into one flexible circuit.
“As electrification takes hold in the automotive industry, it is more important than ever that the industry adopts intelligent wiring systems that minimize complexity and weight,” CelLink CEO Kevin Coakley said. “We are very pleased to have BorgWarner join as an investor, fortifying the significant impact our products will have on the future of electrified transportation.”
…But that’s not all
In other EV venture capital news, Goodyear‘s venture capital arm, Goodyear Ventures, announced that it has invested in AmpUp, a Cupertino, California-headquartered company that develops EV charging infrastructure across North America.
“Goodyear is interested in enabling the future of mobility, including within the EV sector,” said Goodyear Ventures Managing Director Abhijit Ganguly. “AmpUp will provide us with valuable insights on the latest electrification trends and bring their solutions to our fleet customers who are considering electrification.”
“AmpUp is thrilled to partner with Goodyear, whose commitment to innovation and electric mobility will be crucial to wide-scale adoption of EVs,” said AmpUp CEO and Co-Founder Thomas Sun. “As a company focused on providing seamless charging solutions, AmpUp can’t wait to explore solutions with the Goodyear team nationwide.”
Other Goodyear Ventures portfolio companies include on-demand EV provider Envoy and autonomous driving tech firm TuSimple.
