US battery firm sucks up $15m Dyson funding
VACUUM cleaner maker Dyson has invested $15m (£10.1m) in solid-state battery maker Sakti3, which it claims will help it to improve smartphone battery life.
The investment means that Dyson will commercialise Sakti3’s next-generation battery technology, which can store twice as much energy as traditional lithium batteries.
With its investment in the Michigan-based firm, Dyson said it aimed to double battery life for smartphones, and potentially create electric cars that can handle 600 miles per charge. The solid-state battery technology could also give the company’s own cordless and bagless vacuum cleaners a major boost.
Dyson founder James Dyson said: “Sakti3 has achieved leaps in performance, which current battery technology simply can’t. It’s these fundamental technologies – batteries, motors – that allow machines to work properly.”
Ann Marie Sastry, the chief executive of Sakti3, said: “It was quite an honour for us to be approached by Dyson, precisely because they wanted what we did – much, much better batteries.
“The truth is, there is a great deal of knowledge and passion on both sides, and Dyson’s engineering team has the capability and the track record to scale up new ideas and make them a commercial reality. Together, we will enable some very transformative products.”
Dyson has yet to say when the solid-state battery technology will make it to market, but products likely will debut in the next few years.
Sakti3’s battery uses solid lithium electrodes rather than a liquid mix of chemicals to double the amount of energy a battery can store.
Other investors in Satki3 include US car giant General Motors.