SafeCore lithium-ion making batteries safer and enabling the next wave of innovation

Fact

With lithium-ion batteries, safety is a primary concern. The question isn't whether these batteries are safe as issues have been on the rise. Rather, the question is how can we make them safer?

Enabling next generation batteries with SafeCore…

SafeCore battery technology makes current battery designs safer and enables breakthroughs in new design and battery chemistries.

In some cases, up to 70% of the weight of a battery pack in an electric vehicle can be in the steel encasement that contains the lithium batteries. This heavy encasement helps protect the battery cells from abuse and the driver in the event of thermal run away. SafeCore can enable a safer, lighter pack design, which can mean a longer range.

Amionx is a spinout from American Lithium Energy (ALE). ALE manufactures custom batteries for military applications. ALE received a grant from the Department of Energy, ARPA-E program to study the ability to create a battery pack that was so safe for electric vehicles that it could be used as part of the protection system for the driver. This funding, combined with ALE’s work with the U.S. Army to create a bullet-safe battery, is what led to the creation of SafeCore.

SafeCore equipped battery vs. standard li-ion

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SafeCore benefits optimizing the safety and performance of lithium-ion batteries

A better battery means a stronger industry across the board.

SafeCore technology battery safety from the inside out

SafeCore acts like a fuse at the core of a battery to shut down the flow of electricity in the cell if it is headed toward thermal runaway, or in layman’s terms – fire or explosion! Additionally, SafeCore will allow battery engineers to push the envelope in design to allow for more energy dense batteries.

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When a battery heats up, threatening to catch fire, Amionx’s special material acts like an electrical fuse, creating a physical gap between two key components of the battery.

Sean Hollister

SafeCore, by amionx a history of high performance and safety

Amionx spun from American Lithium Energy (ALE) in 2016. ALE is known for solving some of the most complex problems the U.S. armed forces can throw at them, including developing batteries for unmanned vehicles, advanced weapons systems and other critical applications designed to be used under demanding conditions. They’ve built batteries that have doubled the flight time of unmanned vehicles. They’ve even created a battery capable of launching a missile from -40C to 50C in temperature range.

The U.S. Army challenged ALE to create a battery that was bullet-safe. Soldiers on the battlefield only had two minutes to get a lithium-ion battery off their body if it was hit by a bullet, as the battery would explode or burst into flames. Enter SafeCore. ALE delivered a bullet-safe battery. No fire. No thermal runaway. We keep a bad day from becoming a worse day for a soldier.

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