Army announces first round of competition finalists with energy-saving battery solutions

By Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and TechnologyJuly 13, 2021

xTech Innovation Combine Advanced Energy Storage Challenge
xTech Innovation Combine Advanced Energy Storage Challenge (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army’s xTech Program announced the six finalists of the xTech Innovation Combine Advanced Energy Storage Challenge, a competition that challenges companies to propose transformative technology solutions related to two topics: 1) Battery Monitoring and Management, and 2) Safe, Printable, Conformal Batteries

The latest xTech Innovation Combine, which is sponsored by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology and Army Futures Command, chose three finalists for each topic area. They are:

Topic 1 – Battery Monitoring and Management
  • Galley Power LLC (Hudson, Massachusetts) and UEC Electronics LLC (Hanahan, South Carolina)
  • GLX Power Systems (Cleveland, Ohio)
  • Southwest Research Institute (San Antonio, Texas)
Topic 2 – Safe, Printable, Conformal Batteries
  • Ocella Inc (San Diego, California)
  • Storagenergy Technologies (Salt Lake City, Utah)
  • UC Berkeley (Berkely, California)

“Battery energy and performance is a basic but fundamental need of the Army because it is required in almost every aspect of serving on the front lines,” said Dr. Matt Willis, Director of Army Prize Competitions and the Army Applied SBIR Program. “Batteries power our technology, and technology powers our Soldiers.”

The Innovation Combine finalists were selected from more than 44 submissions in the first phase of the competition, which closed in May 2021. The finalists will advance to the next round of the competition, Technology Pitches, which will occur from July 21-22, 2021. The competitors will present their energy storage solutions to a group of judges and will answer questions from a panel of experts during the Advanced Energy Summit at the University of Texas at Austin.

One winner from each topic area will win $25,000 in cash prizes and will move to the final round, Request for Prototype Project Proposal, with the chance to earn up to $500,000 in a potential follow-on Other Transaction Authority agreement with the Army.

The Advanced Energy Summit is open to the public, and press are also encouraged to attend and cover the latest tech innovations in battery solutions and the Army’s announcement of the final two winners. For more information, including a schedule of events and how to register, please write to usarmy.pentagon.hqda-asa-alt.mbx.xtechsearch@mail.mil.

“Blending both prize awards and OTA agreements into a single-pitch competition using proven xTech processes provides the Army a novel way to attract new companies while addressing technology gaps in a mutually beneficial partnership,” said Mike Karaki, Domestic Partnerships Lead at the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command's Ground Vehicle Systems Center.

Please visit the xTech website (www.xtechsearch.army.mil) to learn more about the Innovation Combine Finalists and other xTech competitions.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology provides the American Soldier with a decisive advantage in any mission by developing, acquiring, fielding and sustaining the world's finest equipment and services, and by leveraging technologies and capabilities to meet current and future Army needs.