Intelligence agency funds Solid Power battery R&D

LOUISVILLE — Solid Power Inc., the Louisville-based developer of all-solid-state batteries for electric vehicles, has inked a $12.5-million contract from United States intelligence agency Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) to research and develop nickel- and cobalt-free all-solid-state battery cells.

As part of the project, Solid State will partner with researchers at the University of Maryland to develop “a nano-scale iron sulfide pyrite cathode that is largely comprised of iron and sulfur,” according to a company news release.

“The transition to a pyrite cathode could provide a massive cost advantage over traditional lithium-ion batteries at the cell level, while providing very high specific energy that can serve a range of applications,” Solid Power CEO Doug Campbell said in the release. “The IARPA [Robust Energy Sources for Intelligence Logistics in Extreme Novel and Challenging Environments (RESILIENCE) program] is a natural fit for Solid Power given our history working with this chemistry.” 

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Pyrite batteries are low cost and can “enable long calendar life applications while delivering extremely high cell-level specific energies that liquid-containing batteries are unlikely to be able to achieve even with a lithium metal anode.” 

The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity operates out of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and its “mission is to push the boundaries of science to develop solutions that empower the IC to do its work better and more efficiently for national security,” according to the agency’s website. “IARPA does not have an operational mission and does not deploy technologies directly to the field. Instead, we facilitate the transition of research results to our IC customers for operational application.”

Solid Power is on the verge of going public through a merger with special purpose acquisition company Decarbonization Plus Acquisition Corp. III (Nasdaq: DCRC), a deal that values the company at $1.2 billion. 

The merger is expected to occur in the fourth quarter of 2021.

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