Sion Power is expanding its Licerion® lithium-metal battery program to supply cells and battery systems for US defense and aerospace. The cells are engineered to exceed 500 Wh/kg, up to 200 Wh/kg more than current advanced lithium-ion technology, even with silicon anode enhancements.

The platform covers both primary (single-discharge) and secondary (rechargeable) configurations. Target applications include long-endurance UAS, tactical and counter-UAS drones, missile and loitering munition platforms, autonomous maritime and ground vehicles and space systems. Sion Power operates a 110,000 sq ft cell manufacturing facility in Tucson, Arizona, and says it can demonstrate cells and integrated battery systems today, and expects initial product shipments in late 2026.

Lithium-metal anodes store substantially more energy per kilogram than graphite because lithium metal is lighter and more electrochemically active. For weight-constrained platforms, closing the gap from 300-350 Wh/kg for advanced Li-ion to 500+ Wh/kg translates directly into longer endurance and expanded payload capacity. Sion Power’s expansion also responds to US policy momentum—NDAA provisions support domestic battery supply chains and highlight demand for American-manufactured advanced cells.

“Our lithium-metal technology provides the step-change in energy density required to support longer-range missions, increased flight duration and higher payload capability while maintaining a U.S.-based manufacturing capability aligned with national security priorities,” said Pamela Fletcher, CEO of Sion Power.

“By combining high-energy lithium-metal chemistry with advanced battery pack engineering, Sion Power enables defense integrators to unlock two to three times increases in mission endurance, significantly extended operational range and dramatically higher payload capacity compared with conventional lithium-ion and lithium-polymer batteries used in today’s unmanned systems,” said Tracy Kelley, chief science officer at Sion Power.

Source: Sion Power

Off-the-shelf controllers with safety certifications are giving e-mobility engineers a false sense of security.

An off-the-shelf BMS with a third-party functional safety certification sounds like a solved problem. SIL-rated, ASIL-rated, ready to drop into your e-mobility battery pack. But according to Rich Byczek, Global Chief Engineer for Batteries at Intertek, that certification probably doesn’t cover what you think it covers.

“Certified BMS systems, meaning certified systems that have functional safety certifications from a third party, don’t necessarily address these functions,” Byczek told Charged during a recent webinar (now available to watch on demand). “They just look at the controller as a more generic electrical system.”

The problem: most certifications evaluate the controller hardware against a general integrity standard (IEC 61508, ISO 26262 or ISO 13849). They verify that the electronics are reliable. They don’t verify that the controller monitors individual cell voltages, manages cell-level temperature limits or handles the specific failure modes of lithium-ion chemistry.

Fuses don’t protect at the cell level

The gap is sharpest with passive protection. A pack-level fuse can interrupt a gross overcurrent event, but it’s blind to an individual cell in a series string being driven past its voltage limits. That requires active, per-cell monitoring, and a generic certified controller may not have the inputs and outputs to deliver it.

For e-mobility systems specifically, Byczek stressed that the failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) must evaluate overvoltage, undervoltage, overcharge, overdischarge, over- and under-temperature, short circuit and excessive current, all at the cell level. “We look at those at the cell level, not only at the macro or battery pack level,” he said.

This is a different world from portable devices, where legacy standards like IEC 62133 rely on type tests and single-fault evaluations. Those standards were designed for products a user could set down and walk away from.

E-mobility doesn’t work that way. “You’re literally riding on top of that battery, potentially going at a fairly high speed,” said Byczek. “You can’t just get away from it.”

Start with the FMEA, not the certificate

The fix isn’t complicated, but it does require work. Start with an FMEA that covers every safety-critical function your BMS must perform, at the cell level. Then verify that your controller (certified or not) actually has the architecture to deliver each one. A certified controller is a starting point, not a finish line.

The standards themselves can be mixed and matched. SIL, ASIL and Performance Levels don’t map one-to-one, but regulators accept cross-framework approaches as long as your risk assessment demonstrably covers every identified hazard. For BMS systems, you’re typically targeting SIL 2, ASIL B or PLc, but the specific level matters less than proving your system can fail safely when a sensor drifts, a resistor opens or a communication link drops.

For teams pivoting from automotive EV programs into adjacent markets like forklifts, floor scrubbers and personal mobility devices, this is the adjustment that matters most. The batteries may be smaller, but the safety obligations are not.

Watch the full webinar: Rich Byczek’s complete presentation on applying functional safety to e-mobility battery systems is available on demand.

ENNOVI has secured a German patent for its adhesive-free lamination technology for battery cell contacting systems (CCS). The laser-based process eliminates the adhesives used in conventional hot and cold lamination, and the company says the technology is already validated—meaning OEMs can adopt it without having to prove out the manufacturing process themselves.

CCS components connect and integrate individual cells within a battery module, typically combining busbars, voltage sense lines and the physical laminate layers that hold them together. Conventional CCS lamination bonds those layers using adhesives in hot or cold press processes. ENNOVI’s laser lamination achieves the same bond without adhesive material. The technology supports cylindrical, prismatic and soft pouch cell architectures. With this patent, ENNOVI now offers three lamination options (hot, cold and adhesive-free) for its CCS designs, giving battery engineers a process choice matched to their cell format.

The patent’s main commercial argument is risk reduction. Developing a new lamination process in-house takes time and carries qualification uncertainty; using a pre-validated, patented technology lets engineering teams skip that work. ENNOVI supports co-development and tailored engineering engagement, which it says allows OEM partners to maintain control over their product roadmaps.

The technology was developed at ENNOVI’s Advanced Solutions Engineering Center in Neckarsulm, which includes prototyping, testing and R&D capabilities. The facility holds ISO 9001:2015 and TISAX certifications—the latter covering automotive supply chain data security requirements.

“Automotive OEMs and battery manufacturers can design in the unique features of adhesive-free lamination, reduce engineering risk by using a technology that is already validated, rather than reinventing it,” said Randy Tan, Product Portfolio Director for Energy Systems at ENNOVI.

Source: ENNOVI