SBIR/STTR Research Award
Strengthening Army Capabilities: Ultra-High Energy 18650 Batteries for Tactical Power Needs
Award amount
$1,972,144Program and phase
SBIR · Phase II – Direct to Phase IIAward year
2025Award details
- Awarding agency
- Department of Defense
- Branch
- Army
- Recipient company
- Rincell Corporation
- Proposal award date
- 2025-05-06
- Contract end date
- 2027-05-07
- UEI
- JL7QKH3PNZ87
- Solicitation number
- 24.4
- Topic code
- A244-P063
Research abstract
Rincell is advancing high-capacity, ultra-high energy density 18650 lithium-ion batteries tailored for defense applications. During the past 20 months, the company refined its 4.1 Ah battery design, achieving energy densities exceeding 300 Wh/kg. This involves a silicon-carbon composite anode and a proprietary electrolyte, which enhances stability and enables more than 800 charge cycles. Rincell's pilot-scale manufacturing has demonstrated scalability and consistent product quality, validated through collaborations with partners like NASA and U.S. Army for extreme condition testing. The next phase focuses on optimizing the battery’s capacity to 4.4 Ah with an energy density above 315 Wh/kg, supporting rapid charging (0-80% in 10 minutes) and operational capability across a wide temperature range (-40°C to 60°C). The project aims to meet rigorous military specifications, making these batteries suitable for challenging environments. Production scale-up efforts, including domestic facilities in California, ensure a secure supply chain. The initiative aligns with U.S. defense needs by addressing current supply chain vulnerabilities and supporting a transition to advanced, domestically produced energy solutions for military applications.
Technology keywords
Not reported
Awards with the same topic code
Verified by an exact topic code match. This is not a text-similarity match.
- Army Hardened Aviation Battery (AHAB)
- Enabling Safer Li-ion Batteries with Less Flammable Electrolytes using 3-D Electrode Architectures
- High energy density safer Li-ion battery based on Rotated Graphene Anode
- Temperature-Tolerant, Critical Metal-Free, Lithium-ion Batteries using Organic Cathodes
- Demonstration of a High Energy Sodium Ion Cell with Wide Operating Window