By Battery Power Online Staff
January 19, 2024 | NanoGraf has been awarded a contract worth up to $15 million to support the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command C5ISR Center according to the company. The contract is part of a Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) initiative focused on developing a Family of Advanced Standard Batteries (FAStBat) leveraging commercial technologies.
U.S. soldiers are weighed down by more than twenty pounds of lithium-ion batteries when operating in the field, carrying multiple bulky batteries that aren’t compatible with every device in their pack. NanoGraf will use the funds to develop materials and cells for interoperable batteries that work across a variety of military devices and extend operational runtime significantly longer. Ultimately, soldiers will benefit from a lighter load and accessible energy storage that can be produced domestically.
“High-performing, cross-compatible battery technology supports the safety and success of military operations,” said Dr. Francis Wang, CEO of NanoGraf, in a statement. “Through our ongoing partnership with the DoD, we’re committed to building better battery technology and a more resilient battery supply chain.”
The FAStBat project follows the opening of NanoGraf’s new headquarters and manufacturing plant in Chicago, to support the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act and domestic manufacturing agenda. The new facility onshores battery materials production to create a more robust and stable U.S. supply chain.
“Longer-lasting and more versatile batteries are essential for successful battlefield operations, and for the future of our national security,” said Halimah Najieb-Locke, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Resilience, in the same statement. “America needs to be at the forefront of battery innovation, and companies like NanoGraf get us there even faster.”
