November 17, 2022: Safire Technology Group has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with the US Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to commercialize a new “drop-in safety additive” for lithium ion batteries, the firm announced on November 16.
ORNL invented the SAFe Impact Resistant Electrolyte (Safire) technology, which the lab said is an additive that prevents fire and explosion by “automatically transforming the liquid electrolyte to a solid state instantaneously upon kinetic impact”, such as an electric vehicle crash.
Safire was originally developed by senior research scientist Gabriel Veith and colleagues at ORNL through initial funding from the US government’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy program.
ORNL director of technology transfer Mike Paulus said: “Seeing a technology grow from a seed project through invention, patenting, development and licensing is fulfilling and an honour for our team. We look forward to working with Safire through the prototype process and into manufacturing.”
Venture-backed Safire Technology said it is also exploring new partnerships and identifying prototyping opportunities with automotive, e-bike, and electric vertical take-off and landing manufacturers.
CEO and co-founder John Lee said: “The additive is easy to add to any existing battery-making process and provides users with a safer alternative that is lighter and more effective than conventional battery protection, resulting in higher performance and lower total cost of ownership.”
Image: Safire Technology Group