Following its recent delivery of LIS cells to US Army DEVCOM, Li-S Energy has signed a collaboration agreement with leading Australian Defence prime EPE Trusted to Protect (EPE). This opens a route for Li-S Energy’s ultra-lightweight lithium-sulfur cells into defence and security markets across the Indo-Pacific, North America, Europe and the UK.
Li-S Energy’s battery cells offer approaching twice the energy density of conventional lithium-ion cells, which for unmanned systems means almost twice the range and operating time, and increased payload. LIS cells are designed and manufactured in Australia at the country’s largest advanced pouch cell production facility, and offers a sovereign and allied manufacturing and materials supply chain.
EPE, founded and led by Australian Army veteran Warwick Penrose, is a prime contractor to the Australian Department of Defence and the New Zealand Defence Force. Its partner network spans more than 60 international defence and security OEMs, and it supports Australia’s major primes including Babcock, BAE Systems, Thales and Leidos.
Under the agreement, the two companies will jointly evaluate, demonstrate and qualify Li-S Energy’s cells in key platforms, opening a route for potential battery supply into EPE partner platforms and end-customer systems. Target platforms include drones, ground robotics, EOD robots, counter-drone systems and soldier electronics: a natural fit for the company’s ultra-lightweight cells.
“At EPE our purpose is to keep Australians and our allies safe in the most demanding environments. That increasingly depends on getting more capability into smaller, lighter, longer-endurance platforms, and battery technology is at the heart of that challenge,” said EPE Founder and Chief Executive Officer Warwick Penrose.
“As we expand our presence in the allied defence and security markets, EPE is an ideal Australian partner” said Li-S Energy Managing Director Lee Finniear. “In one agreement, we gain a pathway to EPE’s defence and security customers across Australia, the Indo-Pacific, North America, Europe and the UK, and to the 60+ international OEMs and Australian primes building the platforms where LIS cells can deliver real capability uplift.”
EPE was recently awarded $3.05 million from Queensland’s Sovereign Industry Development Fund to expand a manufacturing facility for Australian-designed battery powered drone systems.
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