A low-cost unmanned combat attack system (LUCAS) drone is deployed on the tarmac at a base in the US Central Command operating area.
Source: US CENTCOM
Arizona-based battery startup led by a former General Motors The executive is focusing on everything from making products for electric vehicles to aerospace and defense industries amid the war in Iran and increased demand for US drones by the Trump administration.
After focusing on the development of all-electric vehicles for the past decade, Cyan Power expects to commercialize high-energy lithium-metal battery cells for drones and other defense-related products later this year, according to CEO Pamela Fletcher.
“We are aiming to commercialize this technology,” Fletcher told CNBC exclusively. “We had hoped, and thought, that it would be in automotive, and I think the potential still exists, but the faster path, and frankly, a bigger need, is in this defense area.”
This decision is a unique example of how companies betting on unrealistic adoption of fully electric vehicles are turning to different segments. Other companies have moved into the stationary storage and aerospace sectors to utilize unused battery production capacity for EVs.
It also comes as automakers in the US have largely backed away from pure EVs and taken billions of dollars in write-downs after slower-than-expected adoption of the vehicles and changes in incentives supported by the Trump administration.
According to the company, Cyan Power’s planned “Licerion HE” lithium-metal battery cell will support both primary (single-discharge) and secondary (rechargeable) battery applications.
According to Fletcher, the battery cells are designed for next-generation drones, autonomous systems and other mission-critical platforms that require maximum energy in the smallest, lightest possible footprint.
“The lithium-metal technology that we developed has high gravimetric energy, which means it has a lot of energy in a light pack,” Fletcher said. began leading the company In 2024. “It works really well for things that fly.”
Fletcher said Cyan Power’s lithium-metal cells are engineered to deliver energy density in excess of 500 watt-hours per kilogram, compared to approximately 300-350 Wh/kg for today’s most advanced lithium-ion technology.
Such batteries can power drones or missiles as well as their on-board systems such as cameras, sensors and processors for combat, surveillance and other needs.
Cyan Power has a 110,000 square foot facility in Tucson, Arizona with pilot manufacturing capabilities. Fletcher said it is currently producing Licerion HE cells for defense applications and is transitioning its production cell line from automotive battery cells to defense products, which are smaller in size.
Pamela Fletcher, CEO of Sion Power, formerly an executive at General Motors
Mario Anzuoni | reuters
The company will continue to develop cells for other segments like EVs, but right now its main focus and development is defence, which the company was working on before focusing on EVs, Fletcher said.
Fletcher, A Former EV and Development Business Executive The opportunity in defense, who is leaving GM in 2022, said the opportunity in defense is paralleled by the ongoing growth in demand for energy storage from data centers across the US.
Fletcher said the privately held company does not plan to become a direct supplier to the U.S. government, but hopes to sell its products to other certified contractors. The move comes as the Trump administration’s Defense Department is exploring the possibility of increasing production Low cost uncrewed combat aerial system received from AmericaOr Lucas, the drone.
Such drones have been an integral part of the war between Russia and Ukraine as well as the Iran war.
“It’s evolved quite rapidly over the last three or four years, and now, even with the Iran war, things are changing even more,” Mitch Hourtien, chief commercial officer at Cyan Power, told CNBC. “Unfortunately, there are a lot of emerging applications coming out of the Ukraine war and now the Iran war.”
Cyan Power’s custom defense pack featuring its Lyserion lithium-metal battery cells.
Courtesy Sion Power
Apart from Sion Power, many companies, such as quantumscapehas spent years researching and developing lithium-metal batteries for vehicles, but has not yet achieved large-scale commercialization using that technology in the automotive sector.
Lithium-metal battery cells perform similarly to currently used lithium-ion cells, but potentially have greater energy density at lower cost. But they could be more volatile, according to experts, and are seen as a far cry from emerging solid-state batteries for cars.
Sam Abuelsamid, vice president of market research at communications and consulting firm Telemetry, said lithium-metal cells can be used for a variety of industries and use cases.
“It’s better for energy density. It should also lower costs,” said Abuelsamid, an engineer and battery expert. “There’s no reason they wouldn’t be as effective against smaller objects, especially flying things like drones.”
The biggest difference between defense and automotive is shelf life versus cycle life. Auto batteries typically require hundreds of charge life cycles, while defense uses require only one to 20 cycles and may require a shelf life of three to eight years.
Cyan Power has raised more than $200 million to develop lithium-metal cells. Investors also include South Korean battery maker LG Energy Solution Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s family office, Hillspire and the unnamed global automaker, according to the company.
company, Established in 1989 As a spin-off of Brookhaven National Laboratory, it plans to seek further capital as its products are expected to launch and ramp-up during the second half of 2026 and into 2027.
