Fabian Alefeld hosts Karl Littau, CTO of Sakuu, to discuss why rechargeable battery manufacturing has changed little in decades and how Sakuu is rethinking it with additive approaches. Littau explains conventional thick-film slurry coating and stacked anode/cathode layers, noting heavy use of copper and aluminum and high costs driven largely by bill of materials. He outlines battery basics (anode, cathode, electrolyte) and contrasts lithium-ion with solid-state concepts, where solids replace liquid electrolytes but face commercialization challenges. Sakuu’s initial product targets electrode coating by shifting from wet, solvent-based processes to dry powder-bed methods, enabling powder reclaim/reuse, removing toxic solvents, reducing equipment size (e.g., long drying ovens), and potentially increasing throughput. The conversation also covers future possibilities like multi-material patterning, arbitrary shapes, bipolar designs that reduce metal, and broader impacts on EVs, grid storage, and electrification.

00:00 Welcome and Topic

01:32 Why Batteries Need Change

04:13 Cost Drivers Today

07:53 Sakuu Additive Approach

13:09 Battery Basics Explained

18:30 Dry Powder Manufacturing

26:10 Speed and Footprint Gains

28:47 Scaling and Supply Chain

32:27 Future Shapes and Structures

35:42 Solid State Readiness

37:48 Sakuu Origin Story

40:31 Roadmap and Industry Impact

42:34 Electrification Future Vision

49:48 Wrap Up and Thanks