If you’ve ever needed evidence that lithium-free graphene batteries are the next step in portable power storage, this is it:
Earlier this week, the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force, AFWERX, in cooperation with the Airforce Special Operations command, selected a small American startup, Cerebral Energy, for a $1.6M grant to develop next generation graphene-aluminum batteries for the US Special Forces.
It’s a mouthful I know, but it is in essence, a nod of approval for graphene batteries by the highest funded branch of the US military for use in the most demanding environments known to man.
The Air Force’s special operations service is responsible for some of the most sensitive, most dangerous missions tasked to the branch.
This includes reconnaissance, personnel recovery, counter-terrorism and all manner of direct action that demands absolute dire necessity for reliable, rugged, compact energy storage technology.
Graphene aluminum batteries check all the boxes when it comes to any prospective mission requirements.
1 Minute Charging. 1000 Mile Range. 1 Million Mile LifeSpan
These batteries are 3-5 times more energy dense than lithium-ion batteries, which continue to dominate the market today specifically for their uniquely high energy density.
From there, the graphene battery leaves lithium completely in the dust, with a charge cycle life expectancy of 2-3 times that of today’s lithium ion batteries, and most impressive of all, a charge speed up 70 times faster.
That’s quick enough to charge your smartphone from zero to capacity in less than a minute.
In the field, speed of charging will make a huge strategic difference, particularly in an age where portable FPV drones are becoming a common tool on the battlefield.
And the benefits don’t end there.
Graphene batteries are virtually fire-proof, and will even take a close range shot from a rifle and continue to function.
Lithium batteries, by contrast, are famous for becoming sudden unintentional incendiary devices from nothing more than overuse.
So you get the benefits. They’re enough not just to revolutionize the way our Air Force wages war, but also the way we live our everyday lives.
From Stealth Bombers To Tesla SUVs
Just imagine what an EV battery that can be charged faster than you can fill your tank at the pump can do for the automotive market… The landscape would change completely, overnight, the moment these things hit the general market.
Unfortunately for the startup awarded the $1.6M grant, there is competition out there.
An Australian company, based in the coastal city of Brisbane, is already producing limited runs of graphene aluminum batteries — test models for the consumer tech industry.
This company has quietly been developing not just the batteries but the revolutionary low-cost graphene production process which makes full commercial scaling possible.
As early as next year, coin and pouch batteries of this type may start to appear on the market.
If testing goes as expected, soon enough, all industries requiring reliable, high-capacity power storage will start to view graphene aluminum as a powerful successor to lithium’s multi-decade rule.
China’s Lithium Empire In The Crosshairs
This Australian company has in its sights some of the biggest Chinese battery makers in operation today.
Multi-billion dollar giants like CATL, which currently dominates more than a third of the US EV market.
But the company developing this nextgen battery is itself just a blip on the radar — less than $100M market capitalization as of today.
And China has more to fear from this company than merely better products… With decades and trillions in investment in the lithium refining industry, the Chinese have even more to lose from the emergence of a battery requiring no lithium at all.
So you’re starting to see just how potentially important this technology is, on multiple levels.
It trades publicly, and has seen its share of panic selling throughout last year’s general pullback in the microcap sector.
That makes it a bargain.
Want to learn more, right now? Check out this video presentation. Fortune favors the bold, Alex Koyfman His flagship service, Microcap Insider, provides market-beating insights into some of the fastest moving, highest profit-potential companies available for public trading on the U.S. and Canadian exchanges. With more than 5 years of track record to back it up, Microcap Insider is the choice for the growth-minded investor. Alex contributes his thoughts and insights regularly to Energy and Capital. To learn more about Alex, click here.
Check us out on YouTube!
