ION’s battery cell surpasses 1,000 cycles while delivering dramatic capacity improvement, validating technology for the consumer electronics sector.
ION Storage Systems (ION) has achieved a significant breakthrough with its battery cell demonstrating a 25x increase in capacity in a commercially relevant footprint while surpassing 1,000 charge cycles. This dual achievement marks a critical milestone in the company’s path to commercialization, validating the performance and durability needed for various applications, particularly significant as ION’s cells cycle without compression or volume change, overcoming a key barrier to commercial SSB adoption.
In 2024, ION commissioned a 30,000-square-foot state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, one of the largest in the United States, and received a $20 million award from ARPA-E to support the continued development of its SSBs. ION’s next-generation battery cells are engineered to provide safer, longer-lasting, and more efficient energy solutions tailored to the demanding requirements of defense, consumer electronics, electric vehicles (EVs), and grid storage sectors. The company is now leveraging this momentum to advance the development of multi-layer cells at its Beltsville, MD, facility.
Highlights:
- Breakthrough performance: 25x capacity increase over previous cell designs, demonstrating cell footprints up to 40mm x 40mm, capable of going larger.
- Proven durability: achievement of 1,000+ cycles in this larger format validates the technology for commercial applications. Cycling was performed at a rate of C/3 at room temperature and without compression, with cells maintaining greater than 80% capacity retention. This demonstrates critical capabilities for integration into customer products and builds on our smaller cell work, which has reached over 2000 cycles.
- Manufacturing innovation: new 30,000-square-foot facility positioned for rapid scaling to multi-layer cell production.
- Supply chain security: strategic partnerships with suppliers like Saint-Gobain Ceramics ensure reliable material access.
ION’s innovative technology enhances capacity and cycle life, overcoming key challenges, particularly in consumer electronics, defense, and portable applications. ION’s ceramic-based cells eliminate the need for compression during cycling — a crucial advantage in space-constrained devices. With the ability to achieve 1,000+ cycles, ION’s technology offers a safer and more efficient alternative to traditional lithium-ion batteries.
Filed Under: Featured, Solid-state