Soteria Battery Innovation Group
Eliminating Lithium Battery Fires Takes a Village

A lithium-ion battery is one of the most underrated inventions in the history of mankind, despite its versatility and applicability from an industrial standpoint. From a simple electric toothbrush to the fastest car in production, lithium batteries have played an instrumental role in bringing the best technological innovations to the average consumer. However, these batteries have received criticism due to their thermal instability: when a battery is damaged or tampered, the metallic foil that conducts electricity channels the energy directly to the affected area, causing the cell to explode. This phenomenon comes as a major hindrance to lithium-ion applications, negating the benefits of the technology.

Amidst the volatility associated with lithium-ion batteries, Brian Morin, CEO of Soteria Battery Innovation Group, puts forth a challenging proposition, “When our architecture is fully developed, one will be able to puncture the batteries, crush them, damage them and they will not catch fire, period.” Soteria’s revolutionary lithium cell architecture overcomes the drawbacks of traditional battery configurations, eliminating thermal instability. The company has redesigned two major components of the lithium-ion architecture: the separators that are housed between the electrodes and the conductors carrying the current. While Soteria’s separators offer greater thermal stability at higher temperatures, the company’s conductive foils—made out of metalized films—prevent high intensity current from flowing to the affected area, arresting the heating of the battery.

Recognizing that once company can’t do everything, Soteria is bringing an ingenious marketing approach to assist battery manufacturers by creating an industry consortium for the next generation of lithium cell technology.

With our architecture in place, one can puncture our batteries, crush them, damage them and our batteries will not catch fire, period

The company is supporting active development with leading end users such as Mercedes Benz and NASA to make batteries safer, lighter, and cost-effective. Soteria is connecting the lithium ion and automotive supply chains through its ‘open innovation platform.’ “We brought together companies—from materials companies like DuPont and Teijin and equipment companies like Voith and Applied Materials to end users like NASA and Mercedes—to develop what was needed and come out with prototypes that can be commercialized,” adds Morin.

One of the noteworthy merits of Soteria’s architecture is that it is compatible with every lithium-ion manufacturing technique and chemistry in existence. It is integrated in the architecture as a material substitute without capital or equipment changes, while offering state-of-the-art performance characteristics that are exceeded by none in the industry. “There are three crucial aspects that each battery OEM focuses on: safety, lighter weight, and lower cost. Currently, every competitor offers improvements to one of these aspects as a trade-off with the other two. Our unique value proposition is that we deliver all the three without compromise,” explains Morin.

Soteria’s proficiency is best highlighted through its collaborations with NASA, wherein safety carries paramount importance. NASA has initiated a program to advance the developments of Soteria’s architecture and prove it safe enough for space flight. These developments could potentially reinvent the lithium-ion batteries, allowing OEMs to develop products with improved performance characteristics, safer usability, and greater affordability.