Overview

• CustomCells permanently closed its Tübingen plant, with all 68 employees facing termination by the end of July.
• The company filed for insolvency in May after the aviation startup Lilium failed to pay for delivered battery cells.
• A family-office consortium led by ABACON with support from SALVIA acquired CustomCells’ core business under insolvency protection.
• The shutdown underscores challenges for European battery startups relying on heavy R&D subsidies and a small number of strategic customers.
• Insolvency administrator Dr. Malte Köster affirmed that the rescued business has stable prospects even as the state-funded Tübingen pilot plant plans are abandoned.