Gelion battery cells pass independent drone testing at QinetiQ

Gelion PLC ( AIM:GELN OTC:GELNF ) , the sulfur battery technology company, has completed a government-backed programme in which its cathode material passed independent drone mission testing carried out by QinetiQ Group PLC (LSE:QQ.) . The cells, built and evaluated by the UK defence, security and aerospace company, completed simulated drone flight profiles including repeated high-power take-off and landing events.

Gelion is developing Nano-Encapsulated Sulfur (NES), a cathode material that replaces the critical minerals used in conventional lithium-ion batteries with abundant sulfur. The cathode is the electrode that stores and releases the charge in a battery, and it accounts for much of the cost and supply-chain risk in current lithium-ion cells. Gelion says the material can be produced on existing manufacturing lines.

The work was funded by the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK under its Advanced Route to Market Demonstrator 4 (ARMD4) programme, titled Advanced Li-S Battery for Mobile Applications. Gelion said the programme was completed on time and within budget.

The tested cells ran for 200 cycles at a discharge rate representative of electric vehicle operation, and sustained higher rates equivalent to quadcopter cruise conditions. Simulated drone duty cycles incorporated repeated pulses at the power levels associated with vertical take-off and landing. Voltage profiles across 50 pseudo-drone cycles remained closely aligned, indicating limited degradation under repeated high-power demand. Gelion said the testing showed no evidence of significant...