A provider of next-generation lithium-ion batteries for unmanned systems, Amprius Technologies, Inc. has been selected by the U.S. Army to develop a large form factor 500 Wh/kg SiMaxx™ high-energy cell for electric mobility applications in the defense sector.
Amprius secured the xTechPrime award to develop the high-energy batteries. The $1.9 million contract that comes with the award will be used over the next 18 months to create the large form factor prototype 500 Wh/kg SiMaxx cell.
The 500 Wh/kg, 1300 Wh/L SiMaxx cell has been verified by Mobile Power Solutions and provides approximately double the energy compared to conventional cells.
The xTechPrime Competition, held from April through June, challenged small businesses to work together in teams with technology integrators to submit innovative solutions that can contribute to the U.S. Army’s modernization goals.
Amprius partnered with AeroVironment (AV) as the technology integrator for AV’s high altitude pseudo satellite (HAPS) that competed in the Autonomy Technology Ecosystem category.
AV has developed solar-powered stratospheric platforms for decades, most recently being a new version of HAPS for a government customer.
Dr. Kang Sun, CEO of Amprius, commented, “Winning the competition not only signifies Amprius’ continued collaboration with the Department of Defense through our tenth program together, but it also positions us to revolutionize military applications with our groundbreaking 500 Wh/kg SiMaxx cell.
“The interest we have secured from multiple national defense customers underscores the market need for our next-generation battery solutions. We’re honored to be chosen for the U.S. Army xTechPrime contract and look forward to providing the innovative battery technology needed to greatly improve mission time and range for critical military applications.”
Dex Halpin, Vice President and General Manager of AV’s HAPS division, added, “Amprius’ 500 Wh/kg SiMaxx cell provides the energy density required to enable broad application objectives on our solar HAPS performance roadmap.
“Our partnership with Amprius allows AV to field our solar stratospheric platforms with the highest payload capability in its class: 150 lb mass and 1500W continuous power. The SiMaxx cell’s proven performance gives us confidence that our partnership with Amprius will help expand our solar platforms’ performance and payload capabilities for government and commercial customers.”
