Case studies
Safire enhances safety and reliability in Lithium-ion battery-powered systems
Solving Lithium-ion battery fires and thermal runaway
Safire Group dramatically enhances safety and reliability in Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery-powered systems, such as in Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Electric Aircraft. Their technology addresses the critical issue of battery fires and thermal runaway that pose risks to human lives and valuable hardware.
Safe Impact Resistant Electrolyte (SAFIRE™) prevents fires by inducing a rapid shear-thickening transition (utilizing non-Newtonian fluid dynamics) within a battery cell during kinetic impact which prevents the spontaneous discharge of energy and the resulting heat generation and risk of fires.
This rapid shear-thickening transition causes the chemical battery process to shut off, preventing electrical shorting and eliminating thermal runaway, thereby mitigating the risks to people and critical hardware during a ballistic or kinetic event, such as an EV crash or collision.
In addition to improving electrical vehicle safety, integrating SAFIRE technology in EV battery packs reduces the overall weight of battery enclosures, and therefore the EV itself. Considering that crude steel production releases 1.4 tons CO2 per ton of steel produced, integrating SAFIRE into all 17 million EVs projected to be sold in 2028 would eliminate 2.38 million tons of CO2 emissions annually.
Safire Group contributes to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 12 (Responsible consumption and production) and Sustainable Development Goal 13 (Climate action).
Safire Group partnered with Enduring Planet to:
- Purchase equipment to scale production
- Extend their runway
Fast-tracking transformative technology
Safire Group has been awarded $2.5M of non-dilutive funding from the US Air Force. The funding consists of two Direct to Phase II SBIR contracts where Safire Group is actively working on building prototypes for the Department of Defense.
In addition, Oak Ridge National Laboratory granted Safire Group an exclusive license on the 5 SAFIRE patents and a multi-year Strategic Partnership Program agreement.
Safire Group chose Enduring Planet, in part, for their shared set of values -- inclusion, collective action, and authenticity, as well as the strategic perspective Enduring Planet offers. In addition to this funding, Enduring Planet has made key introductions to other potential strategic investors.
The Climate Grant Advance is enabling Safire Group to accelerate scaling their product and its commercial adoption.
The Enduring Planet team has been amazing to work with. You can tell that everyone really cares about making a difference and wants to help other companies do the same.
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