About 90% of the parts in Forge Nano's first commercial battery are sourced from the United States, as detailed in a news release about the impressive power pack.
The Colorado-based company's innovation not only bypasses complicated, expensive, and sometimes troublesome foreign supply chains, but it can also charge in 10 minutes without hurting the pack's lifespan, Interesting Engineering reports.
The prototype lithium-ion units are being made by Nano's subsidiary, Forge Battery.
"Forge Battery has received huge interest from new customers to test our made-in-America Supercells for their high-performance market needs," Nano CEO Paul Lichty said.
Company officials announced in late July that they started shipping the so-dubbed Gen. 1.1 Supercell cylindrical battery to customers following successful safety vetting.
The battery is geared to power electric trucks, off-highway vehicles, motorcycles, and aerospace and Department of Defense machines, all per Forge.
The components list includes materials familiar to battery production floors, including lithium, manganese, cobalt, graphite, and silicon. The crucial elements help to form the anodes, cathodes, and other power pack parts needed for the chemistry (explained here by the U.S. Department of Energy) to work. The Nano experts expect their invention to outperform industry energy storage standards.
Importantly, Nano was able to cut production costs by 20% per kilowatt-hour, all according to the release.
"With higher silicon content in the anode, a reduction in electrolyte and additives, and the ability to cycle at higher voltages, the Forge Battery Supercell is poised to outcompete state-of-the-art Tier 1 suppliers globally and showcase U.S. battery innovation to the world," Forge Nano vice president of energy storage Barbara Hughes said in the release.
Of note is the company's Atomic Armor technology. This very thin nanocoating prevents harmful chemical reactions that can cause performance problems.
This is just the latest in a regular stream of headlines from around the world documenting fascinating battery innovations. The breakthroughs often improve range, lower charge times, and reduce costs — all factors that are helping cleaner EVs grow in popularity. Toshiba is working on a battery that also charges in 10 minutes, for example. It's geared for buses.
Fuel and maintenance cost savings of up to $1,500 annually and tax breaks of up to $4,000 and $7,500 for used or new EVs, according to the DOE, make the battery-powered rides even more appealing. U.S. EV sales set a record of 1.2 million last year, according to Cox Automotive.
EVs prevent thousands of pounds of air pollution a year when compared to fuel-burners. That's true even in states where fossil fuels generate nearly all the electricity, according to DOE data.
Exhaust smog is linked by medical experts to a range of health concerns, including asthma, bronchitis, and even heart attack risks. Studies are researching the pollution's impact on our brain health, too, all per the National Library of Medicine.
At Forge Battery, leaders said they plan to start mass production of their cells at a new North Carolina factory in 2026.
"Forge Battery's high-energy Supercells are surpassing those currently on the market," Hughes said in the release.
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