Lithium-ion battery producer Amprius Technologies Inc. is supplying battery cells to the University of Michigan Solar Car Team. The University of Michigan Solar Car Team is slated to compete within the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge — the world’s hardest and most prestigious solar automotive race, requiring groups to design, develop and pilot a solar-powered car alongside a 3,000-km transcontinental Australian route from the northern metropolis of Darwin to the southern metropolis of Adelaide.
“Amprius was founded from Stanford University research, so supporting collegiate STEM programs is close to our heart. The University of Michigan’s Solar Car Team brings a long history of excellence and is considered the most successful solar car racing team in the Western Hemisphere. We are honored they selected Amprius to power its vehicle for the world’s most demanding endurance solar car race,” mentioned Dr. Kang Sun, CEO of Amprius. “Our industry-leading silicon anode batteries enable long run time while enduring wide temperature and pressure ranges, ideal for the arduous conditions the University of Michigan team will face Down Under.”
The University of Michigan Solar Car Team is a student-run group of greater than 150 undergraduates and postgraduates that builds, checks and races extremely aggressive solar-powered electrical automobiles on nationwide and worldwide competitors circuits. For 2023, the University of Michigan Solar Car Team targeted on incorporating novel manufacturing and meeting procedures to optimize efficiency. The group evaluated varied battery choices and in the end chosen Amprius cells over rivals primarily based on their industry-leading high-power density and light-weight design. These options make the Amprius cells the only option for attaining the group’s effectivity objectives.
“We are excited to work with Amprius as we have been following the technology for some time,” mentioned University of Michigan Solar Car Team Project Manager Will Jones. “Amprius’ cells stood out compared to other batteries we tested and showed a superior level of performance giving us confidence they can withstand the challenging conditions experienced throughout the race. At the last Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in 2019, our team finished in third place. Our new partnership with Amprius is a part of our strategy to close that gap and elevate our performance to new heights.”
The University of Michigan Solar Car Team has been a participant within the solar automotive race since 1990 with its first car, the Sunrunner. This yr marks the thirteenth time the University of Michigan Solar Car Team has constructed a automotive for the race. This yr’s automotive, dubbed Astrum, might be formally unveiled on July 14th, after which it would start testing and put together for a mock race across the state of Michigan earlier than delivery to Australia in August.
Amprius is a number one producer of lithium-ion batteries. The firm’s commercially out there batteries ship as much as 450 Wh/kg and 1,150 Wh/L. The firm’s company headquarters is in Fremont, California, the place it maintains an R&D lab and a pilot manufacturing facility for the fabrication of silicon anodes and cells. To serve buyer demand, Amprius lately entered right into a lease settlement for an roughly 774,000 sq. foot facility in Brighton, Colorado.
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Tags: Amprius, lithium ion, Michigan, solar automotive
