Amprius, the lithium-ion battery maker, has won a $1.9 million contract from the US Army for its 500Wh/kg SiMaxx silicon anode cell.
It will go into electric mobility applications in the arms industry. The $1.9 million contract that comes with the award will over the next 18 months help create the large form factor prototype 500Wh/kg 1300Wh/L SiMaxx cell.
The cell has the following properties, according to the company:
- Discharge Rate: max. 1C continuous, 3C pulse
- Charging Rate: max. 2C, 80% in 30 minutes
- >200 cycles at 80% DOD
- >150 cycles at 100% DOD
- 85% capacity retention at -20C vs. 25C.
Kang Sun, CEO of Amprius, said this was its 10th programme with the Department of Defense, which positions it to “revolutionise military applications.” Sun added: “The interest we have secured from multiple national defence customers underscores the market need for our next-generation battery solutions. We’re honoured to be chosen for the US Army xTechPrime contract and look forward to providing the innovative battery technology needed to greatly improve mission time and range for critical military applications.”
Amprius partnered with AeroVironment (AV) to win the contract 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 providing a new version of HAPS to an unnamed government customer.
The SiMaxx cell has been verified by Mobile Power Solutions and provides roughly double the energy compared to conventional cells.
