US-based solid-state battery manufacturer Ion Storage Systems will receive $20 million from the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy Technologies with Untapped Potential (SCALEUP) program.

Ion was one of four companies to secure funding from SCALEUP in 2024 as part of its $63.5-million program budget. The program’s goal is to help ARPA-E-funded technologies transition from proof-of-concept prototypes to commercially scalable and deployable versions. ARPA-E’s SCALEUP funding and corporate partnerships will enable Ion to expand its manufacturing facilities in the US.

The funding is part of a three-year, $40-million partnership with French ceramics, glass and material supplier Saint-Gobain and US semiconductor process and quality control company KLA to accelerate the commercialization of Ion’s anodeless solid-state battery. The ARPA-E financing will be matched by another $20 million in private funds, bringing the total program size to $40 million.

“Accelerating the widespread adoption of electric vehicles requires increasing driving range, reducing costs, and improving safety. Ion Storage Systems—through an earlier ARPA-E program—focused on working toward these goals, and now, through SCALEUP, the company will accelerate domestic manufacturing of solid-state, high-power-density lithium-metal batteries, based its ceramic electrolyte manufacturing technology,” said Evelyn Wang, ARPA-E Director.

Source: Ion Storage Systems