Volt Carbon Technologies and TensorOne have signed a memorandum of understanding to evaluate and develop advanced battery and carbon technologies for next-generation autonomous Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and AI-enabled counter-UAS platforms. The MOU is a three-party agreement also naming Solid Ultrabattery Inc., Volt Carbon's wholly owned subsidiary.
Under the agreement, the parties intend to evaluate integrating Solid Ultrabattery's lithium metal battery technology with Volt Carbon's graphene and carbon materials on TensorOne's autonomous UAS platforms. The work is to include engineering validation, laboratory and flight testing, manufacturing evaluations, and the pursuit of future commercialization opportunities.
The companies frame the collaboration around the weight-versus-energy tradeoff that constrains electric aircraft. The stated aim is to increase battery energy density and reduce aircraft weight, with the intended downstream effects being longer flight endurance, greater payload capacity, improved maneuverability and better overall mission performance.
"For UAS, reducing weight while increasing available energy directly improves mission capability via speed and endurance. By integrating and flight-testing these advanced battery and carbon technologies on TensorOne platforms, we aim to develop practical, scalable solutions for a variety of dual-use applications," said Oleg Stukalov, CEO of TensorOne.
"Advanced batteries and lightweight materials are two of the most important technologies driving the future of autonomous aircraft. Every reduction in aircraft weight and every improvement in battery energy density has the potential to translate into greater flight endurance, increased payload capacity and improved mission performance," said V-Bond Lee, CEO of Volt Carbon.
Solid Ultrabattery and TensorOne are both members of the Waterloo Dual-Use Technology Consortium. TensorOne develops portable, AI-enabled counter-UAS systems designed to detect and neutralize aerial threats using drones across fixed, manned and unmanned platforms, while Solid Ultrabattery focuses on lithium metal battery technologies for electric aircraft and energy storage applications.
Volt Carbon is a Canadian carbon science company building a vertically integrated platform intended to convert natural graphite resources into higher-value carbon products including graphite concentrates, graphene, battery materials and battery technologies. It holds mineral interests in Quebec and British Columbia and operates facilities for both carbon material processing and battery development. The company's UAS battery work has been supported previously through the DAIR Green Fund, which in 2024 backed projects at both its Toronto processing operation and Solid Ultrabattery in Guelph.
At this stage the agreement is an MOU covering evaluation and testing. No financial terms, timelines or binding commitments were disclosed, and the companies note that definitive commercial agreements have yet to be negotiated.
