Reliefed, a Swedish company led by CEO Mikael Eklund, invented z.trusion, a manufacturing method in which rotating dies press 3D shapes into profiles as they are extruded. Its EIC project set out to use it to make tab-cooled electric car battery packs, which cool cells through their terminals. It cited research suggesting "lithium-ion cell lifetime can be tripled if tab cooling is effectively implemented", and said it needed the EIC "to finish optimising and validating the tab cooled battery pack", according to CORDIS.
The European Innovation Council granted €2,500,000 towards a €3.57 million project starting in January 2023, and Reliefed announced it would also receive €3.5 million in equity, according to Light Metal Age. In October 2024 a cooling plate adapted for a Polestar prototype battery module "has now been tested at Polestar with positive results", Reliefed said on its news page. The only report on CORDIS covers the first period; by then only computer simulations had been run. Reliefed's website now describes it as "pioneering a patented solution for efficient mass production of high-performance, non-metallic flow plates", with the EV battery as one case among several.
Company file
- Legal entity
- Reliefed AB, org. no. 556669-2694, Varberg
- Registered
- 2004
- Management
- Mikael Eklund (CEO), Lovisa Högberg (CCO), Marcus Berggren (CTO)
- Technology
- z.trusion 3D extrusion
- Patents
- 14 families, 46 granted, 34 pending (company figures)
- Staff
- 7 (2024)
- EIC project
- Reliefed, 1 Jan 2023 to 30 Sep 2026, closed
Where Reliefed Stands Now
Reliefed's home page lists heat exchangers, fuel cells, flow batteries, electrolysers, cold plates and direct air capture as uses for its flow plates, made from materials such as graphite composites and polymers rather than the aluminium of its battery work. Its news page records fuel cell plate projects funded by Vinnova and the Swedish Energy Agency, and a May 2025 electrolyser test of its carbon plates by Fraunhofer UMSICHT and Ruhr University Bochum. It has posted no news since then. The company says its tech lab is in Varberg and its sales office in Gothenburg.
"Tab cooling is known to be superior in keeping low and even internal cell temperature, but unfortunately it is expensive to achieve at scale."
Mikael Eklund, CEO, Reliefed, to CORDISThe Technology: 3D Shapes at Extrusion Speed
The first-period report says z.trusion places rotating dies in the pressurised zone of an extrusion tool, forming 3D features on aluminium profiles at about 0.4 m/s, and claims production costs more than 95% lower than traditional alternatives. For batteries, the profile holds the cells and carries integrated cooling channels. Reliefed says a 2022 version was validated at the RISE battery test centre, and it compares its pack with a Tesla design in simulations.
What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows
The project was to set up a z.trusion test centre and extrusion line, then optimise and validate a tab-cooled battery pack. The first-period report says a 2,000 m² site in Mölndal had been chosen and an extrusion line supplier picked. The Polestar test is the only published validation result. No final report is on CORDIS, and Reliefed has announced no customer for the battery pack. A 2024 CORDIS article said the project would end in December 2024; it was extended to September 2026.
- Polestar module testDeliveredPositive results, 2024.
- Test centre in MölndalUnverifiedLab now listed in Varberg.
- Validated battery packUnverifiedNo final report.
- Battery commercialisationNot doneFocus moved to flow plates.
The Money
Reliefed's turnover grew from SEK 1.5 million in 2020 to SEK 8.2 million in 2024, but it lost between SEK 3 million and SEK 6.5 million a year, according to allabolag.se. Cash fell from SEK 14.4 million at the end of 2022 to SEK 0.26 million at the end of 2024, and equity was SEK 3.7 million. Its 2025 accounts are not yet shown.
What Cannot Be Checked
Questions for the EIC
Whether the €3.5 million of EIC equity was invested, why the project was extended by 21 months, whether the test centre was built and what the project delivered after the Polestar test are not public.
Why Europe Should Care
The EIC backed z.trusion as a cheaper way to make longer-lasting EV batteries in Europe. The manufacturing method could still find a market in fuel cells and electrolysers, which Europe also wants to build. But the battery pack the EIC paid to validate has been set aside.
What the project promised
An optimised, validated tab-cooled EV battery pack and a z.trusion test centre.
What the record shows
One positive Polestar test, a 21-month extension, no final report and a company now selling flow plates.
The Verdict
The battery was left behind
Reliefed proved its cooling plate could work in a carmaker's module, then turned its technology to other markets. What the EIC's €2.5 million delivered for batteries is thinly documented.
Reliefed and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.
