Forge Battery, the commercial lithium-ion battery production subsidiary of Forge Nano, Inc., has begun shipping the company’s prototype high-energy 21700 cylindrical lithium-ion battery cells to existing customers and potential partners.

Forge Battery’s “Gen. 1.1 Supercell”, the company’s first commercial product, has received both UN 38.3 and UL 1642 certifications verifying the cells meet the most stringent safety requirements, permitting transportation to customer facilities. Forge Battery expects to ship thousands of cells throughout the rest of 2024 to its current customers, who account for multiple GWh/year in confirmed offtake.

Since the announcement of the Morrisville Gigafactory in November 2023, the company has received Letters of Intent (LOIs) totaling 24 GWh/yr. Forge Battery plans to ship cell samples to interested parties following the completion of customer sampling commitments.

The “Gen. 1.1 Supercell” has a confirmed specific energy of 300 Wh/kg without the typical compromise in cycle life. The cells will undergo cycle life testing for various application-specific requirements from current and future customers. Forge Battery expects its A-Sample cells will meet or exceed industry standard lifetimes suitable for its intended target customer markets, which include electric trucks, off-highway vehicles, motorcycles and aerospace and Department of Defense (DoD) applications.

Composed of a lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC 811) cathode and silicon oxide (SiO_x) graphite composite anode, the Forge Battery Gen. 1.1 Supercell expects to outperform energy density targets set by the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) with a 20% cost reduction per kWh.

The high-performance metrics are attained through enablement of high amounts of active silicon content and greater stability of cathode active materials at high voltage, while cost metrics are a result of the reduction of electrolyte and electrolyte additives.

Forge Battery’s cell materials are coated using Forge Nano’s proprietary Atomic Armor atomic layer deposition technology, which coats materials with an ultrathin, uniform and robust nanocoating that prevent unwanted chemical reactions at the surface.

Forge Battery expects to begin commercial production of its Supercells at a newly constructed Gigafactory outside of Raleigh, North Carolina in 2026. Forge Battery’s cells intend to use a material supply chain comprising materials produced in the United States, with 90% of cell contents sourced from US entities. Forge Battery’s Gen. 1.1 Supercell currently utilizes 100% of its cathode and anode materials from US suppliers, with additional cell materials sourced via South Korea.