SBIR-STTR Award

The drive for greater range in electric vehicles (EVs) and longer lasting portable power banks or consumer electronics leads companies to push against the boundaries of what modern systems are capable of with respect to energy density in secondary battery systems. As we pack more energy in, we increase the likelihood of catastrophic failures, leading to fires, an unacceptable safety risk. Both in response to the safety issue and as a natural consequence of thickening the electrode coatings, the cells become more and more passivated. Thus, we sacrifice power in our pursuit of energy. This is not ideal for electric vehicles and is entirely unacceptable for the Air Force and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) industry envisioned all-electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL). As a response, EC Power proposes the use of its patented “Self-Heating” Battery (SHB) architecture and a novel approach of supplying “Power On-Demand” through self-activation. A similar approach, using external activation, has been proven effective for charging, allowing 200 Wh/kg of charge in 10 minutes without lithium plating (>1000 cycles demonstrated). By self-activation, this approach will be able to supply valuable power (2-3x nominal battery power) during critical field operations, such as the landing of an eVTOL. This phase 1 effort will focus on 1) digital analysis of self-activation when in competition with other power draws (i.e. sustained flight), and 2) development of valuable customer and partner relationships within the Department of Defense, commercial UAM, and power tool industries.

Despite the ambitious announcements from automotive companies and energy news agencies for the coming electric vehicle (EV) revolution, EVs remain a luxury item for the wealthy. To make the leap from luxury item to mass market appeal, EVs must overcome th