NanoGraf wins $1 Million contract from U.S Department of Defense to develop battery technology for the U.S. Army

NanoGraf has announced that it won a $1 million development contract from the Department of Defense to produce a more powerful, longer-lasting 4.3Ah lithium-ion battery. The cell will aim to provide U.S. military personnel with enhanced run-time for the equipment they rely on to operate safely and efficiently.

This is the second Department of Defense project won by NanoGraf. In 2021, the company developed the world’s longest-running 3.8Ah 18650 cylindrical lithium-ion cell, at 800 watt-hours per liter (Wh/L). This cell will is meant to go into volume production in the Spring of 2022.

When people talk about range anxiety with electric vehicles, it’s about the inconvenience, whereas in the military, it can be about life or death, said Dr. Francis Wang, CEO of NanoGraf. We’re honored to have this opportunity to enable enhanced survivability and effectiveness to our Soldiers and Warfighters with greater runtimes for their critical electronic devices.

Whereas performance improvements are typically small, the 4.3Ah should be a dramatic increase in energy density reaching 870Wh/L, and NanoGraf expects no impact on cycle life, shelf life, discharge rate capability, or operating temperature.

The Company predicts that the cell will enter into volume production in Q2 2024, and be available for battery pack qualifications and fielding to the Warfighter in late 2024.

In July 2020, NanoGraf partnered with the U.S. Department of Defense to develop a longer-lasting lithium-ion battery, designed to provide U.S. military personnel with better portable power for the equipment they rely on to operate safely and effectively. To this end, Nanograf received a $1.65 million grant from The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.