Cuberg sought to develop lithium-metal battery cells with a focus on applications in the aviation and electrical vertical takeoff and landing industries. Cuberg built a groundbreaking lithium-metal battery system with exceptional power output, reduced weight, and long cycle life, which can be used as a battery for electric aircraft applications, improve the range, safety, and price of electric vehicles, and pave the way for other new mobility applications such as drones and ships.
This project funded the setup and commissioning of a large-scale production facility for the design and manufacture of an ultra-safe, nonflammable battery that integrates Cuberg’s novel lithium-metal cell technology into a lightweight, high-performance module. Cuberg batteries had already achieved an energy density 50 percent greater than current lithium-ion batteries; this aspect has carried great weight-reduction benefits over into the module platform.
The project targets for production included a low-rate initial production pilot line for the ultra-safe cells, with production volumes up to 55 kilowatt-hours per month and a yield (the percentage of each batch that is of high enough quality to be used) of over 90 percent. Meeting these targets was facilitated by conducting supply-chain feasibility studies, characterizing the ultra-safe cell design, developing a battery management system and a module for incorporating the cell into aircraft, and demonstrating module performance in a customer-relevant setting.
The team assembled full-sized modules with the designed cell as a key deliverable, which showcased the externally validated 270 watt-hours per kilogram module’s ability to achieve 692 customer-relevant cycles. This achievement translated into an estimated doubling of an electrical vertical takeoff and landing craft’s flight range, from 40 to 86 miles. This project marked a critical step in Cuberg’s journey to deliver the world’s first lithium-metal battery module.
