SAFIRE TACFI

The Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of the Air Force (DAF) both highlight the strategic importance of power and energy storage in maintaining an advantage during great power competition. The current approach to batteries and energy storage has significant drawbacks, including decreased ability to meet safety requirements, heavy systems to protect personnel, and custom stand-alone systems that increase costs. Due to the widespread integration of advanced technologies on the battlefield, the capacity and density requirements of energy storage solutions  are increasing at a fast pace. To meet national defense mission requirements, these energy storage solutions must be smaller in size and weight, while providing more power in a form factor that is safe for rapid deployment to austere environments. The high energy density of lithium-ion (Li-ion) cells and batteries offer some distinct advantages over traditional energy storage solutions, but Li-ion cells can be extremely volatile when punctured, involved in a kinetic impact, or exposed to extreme climate conditions. This volatility can lead to thermal runaway, fire, and explosion, exposing DAF personnel, equipment, and critical infrastructure to significant risk of damage or destruction.Safire Technology Group, Inc. (“Safire Group”) emerged in 2020 from a 5-year R&D effort led by the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and a commercialization effort sponsored by FedTech. Safe Impact Resistant Electrolyte, SAFIRE™ is the world’s only patented shear thickening battery safety technology. SAFIRE is a drop-in electrolyte additive, for any type of Li-ion battery, that prevents fire/explosion during high impact/crash/g-force, and additionally imparts ballistic protection against projectiles. Through an instantaneous liquid to solid phase transformation that occurs during a kinetic impact, the chemical battery process is shut off via the SAFIRE additive, preventing shorting and eliminating thermal runaway, thereby mitigating the risks to people and critical hardware during a ballistic or kinetic event.  SAFIRE can be integrated into any Li-ion battery cell, including but not limited to, those used in electric vehicles, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOLS) / electric aircraft, electric motorcycles, warfighter communications equipment, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV), or other Internet of Things (IoT) devices.