NanoGraf was awarded up to a $15 million Army contract to provide lighter, longer-lasting batteries to the military.
NanoGraf will use the funds to better power troops in the field and ensure a resilient U.S. battery supply chain through the DoD’s Defense Innovation Unit.
NanoGraf, the battery material company enabling more robust, lighter, longer-lasting lithium-ion batteries, announced that it was awarded a contract worth up to $15 million to support the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command C5ISR Center. 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 various 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. “Through our ongoing partnership with the DoD, we’re committed to building better battery technology and a more resilient 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 the future of our national security,” said Halimah Najieb-Locke, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Resilience. “America needs to be at the forefront of battery innovation, and companies like NanoGraf get us there even faster.”
This news follows a series of major announcements from NanoGraf. In December, NanoGraf secured an $8 million contract from the U.S. Army. It also completed UL1642 and IEC62133 certifications for its most energy-dense 18650 lithium-ion cell.