StoreDot enters partnership with Flex|N|Gate to produce extreme fast charging battery cells

Samples of StoreDot’s 100in5 battery cells, designed to deliver 100 miles of range with five minutes of charging, will be produced in 2024 at Flex|N|Gate Group’s Flex-lon lithium-ion cell pilot factory in Windsor, Ontario while working with local automotive OEMs to produce cells with specified performance and formats.

In a statement, Guido Benvenuto, Flex|N|Gate vice president of global sales, said: “Producing extreme fast charging [XFM] battery cells at giga-scale is a key competitive requirement in the electric vehicle industry. Applying our mass production manufacturing expertise to StoreDot’s… technologies will create an ideal framework to establish world-class cell manufacturing facilities.”

StoreDot is growing a global network of strategic partnerships with investors, OEMs, and manufacturing partners including Daimler, Ola Electric, Polestar, VinFast, and Volvo Cars.

Amir Tirosh, StoreDot COO, said: “Working with Flex|N|Gate, a tier one manufacturer and global leader in mass-scale automotive component production, opens vast new opportunities for StoreDot in the North American market, including the ability to localise its cell production. The collaboration allows us to serve the needs of local OEMs, building upon our recently established California R&D facility.

“Our 100in5 battery cells are already being tested by electric vehicle manufacturers; this strategic agreement gives us ability to scale up rapidly to mass production and flexibility to produce OEM li-ion battery cells at the scale and in the form factors required by this burgeoning industry. Enabling owners to charge their cars safely in minutes is no longer an option, as range and charging anxiety remain the main barriers for mass EV adoption.”

In June 2023 StoreDot completed the first evaluation and integration testing phase for A-Samples of its extreme fast charging (XFC) electric vehicle battery cells.

Testing programs took place across 15 automotive brand manufacturers from Europe, Asia and the US. Tests showed that the cells exceeded expectations with some OEMs now progressing to B-Sample programs. According to StoreDot, tests saw OEMs reach an energy density greater than 300Wh/kg, at a charging rate higher than 4C, achieving over 1000 consecutive XFC charging cycles.