Energy Storage  -  October 30, 2020

U.S. Army invests $7.2M into battery storage research

The U.S. Army announced Oct. 21 that it awarded $7.2 million toward the pursuit of battery technology research in a project led by the University of Maryland that will ultimately advance the use of Army devices that require large amounts of battery power.

UMD will lead the research campaign in partnership with Montana State University and other universities, national laboratories and companies from the Center for Research in Extreme Batteries. The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory plans to work alongside the UMD-led team on the development of this technology.

“The Army is looking to add a wide range of diverse new capabilities in the next five to 10 years,” Dr. Jeffrey Read, an Army chemist and one of the team leaders for the laboratory’s Battery Science Branch, said in a statement. “The amount of power and energy required for the average Soldier is going to increase dramatically when these systems are fielded, so batteries become critical.”

The agreement between the Army and UMD includes the pursuit of technologies involving rapid charging capabilities, extreme voltage capacity and promoting the development of new materials and design in battery production. The Army expects that such technology could eventually be deployed in the military’s use of portable soldiers systems, unmanned vehicles, hybridized next-generation combat vehicles and directed energy systems, to start.

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