Blixt and the EIC Accelerator: Batteries That Make AC Directly

Blixt, founded in 2018 in Kista, Stockholm, and led by Charlotta Holmquist, makes power electronics that replace mechanical parts of the electrical system with software-controlled ones, starting with the Blixt Zero solid-state circuit breaker. Its EIC Accelerator project, X-Verter, "Cell-level Controlled Battery System enabling software defined power", receives an EU contribution of €2,499,999 and runs from December 2024 to November 2026, according to CORDIS. It aims to industrialise a battery storage system that controls each cell and switches them to generate alternating current directly, without a separate inverter.

After the first year, the report says, Blixt moved X-Verter from a lab test bed towards a prototype for on-site customer demonstrations: it optimised the hardware, developed control algorithms, and tested functional prototypes that generated "step-wise sine wave generation directly from battery cells, validating the elimination of external power conversion stages", according to CORDIS. Pre-compliance work began on a certification strategy. The report lists extended pilots, full certification, industrialisation and "access to scale-up financing" as the next steps. Blixt raised a €5 million seed round in March 2024, co-led by Union Square Ventures and Energy Revolution Ventures, according to Blixt.

Where Blixt Stands Now

Blixt's news page has not announced X-Verter pilots, customers or funding since the seed round; its most recent items are archived award notices and a December 2024 interview in Automation magazine, according to Blixt. No EIC Fund investment has been announced. Its Swedish accounts were not accessible in free sources.

The Technology: Building a Sine Wave From Cells

Conventional battery storage stores direct current and converts it to alternating current in a separate inverter, which loses energy, the EIC report says. X-Verter switches cells in and out in sequence so that the stacked voltages trace a stepped sine wave, and the same software can reconfigure the system for industrial power, microgrids or backup. Blixt says this cuts losses, improves fault tolerance and extends battery life.

What the EIC Award Promised, and What the Record Shows

The project runs until November 2026. The first year reached functional prototypes; the step to a market-ready, certified product with customer demonstrations has not been documented publicly with two months left.

1. Functional prototypesDeliveredDirect AC from cells.
2. CertificationPre-complianceStrategy set.
3. On-site customer demosNot announcedPlanned.
4. Market-ready productNot shownProject target.

The Money

The award was blended finance, but no EIC equity has been announced. The report's call for "access to scale-up financing" shows Blixt will need more capital to industrialise X-Verter.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

Battery storage is central to integrating renewables, the EIC report notes. A cell-level controller that removes the inverter stage would be a genuine technical alternative to today's systems. Blixt has to take it from prototype to certified product.

The Verdict

Blixt and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.