Army researchers zero-in on rugged lithium-ion battery technology for reliable power in extreme conditions
ADELPHI, Md. – During an era of modernized warfare, a small cadre of Army scientists have pioneered an all but invincible, lightweight battery set to roll-out by 2024, officials say, with Soldier feedback expected next year. Army News Service reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
20 Feb. 2020 -- Whether isolated in the bone-chilling arctic or taking enemy fire in the most barren-regions of the Middle-East, when troops -- who often rely on battery-powered technology -- need rugged and dependable energy in extreme conditions, they call the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command's Army Research Laboratory, or ARL, said Dr. Cynthia Lundgren, an electrochemist, and ARL's Energy Storage branch chief.
Scenarios like these are at the heart of ARL's scientific research. Located outside the nation's capital, ARL scientists have meticulously engineered sheets of bendable, water-based, non-flammable, longer-lasting lithium-ion batteries intended to support warfighting efforts.
From initially publishing a 2015 study in the Science journal outlining ways to meet the Army's needs, to engineering prototypes in 2020, the team -- alongside industry partners at the University of Maryland -- have moved at an unprecedented pace, Lundgren said, and have cut normal research time in half.
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John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics
