Battery Cells in the Stratosphere
Newly developed battery packs use battery cells with specific energy of 439 Wh/kg, more than 1.5 times that of existing products, to achieve 300 Wh/kg for battery packs
SoftBank Corp. announced it developed a battery pack using a next-generation lithium-metal battery cell manufactured by Enpower Japan Corp. with a specific energy of 439Wh/kg for High Altitude Platform Station (“HAPS”) stratospheric wireless communication platforms. SoftBank conducted a charge-discharge cycle test of the battery pack in the stratosphere from January 30 to February 2, 2023 in the United States together with its subsidiary, HAPSMobile Inc. (“HAPSMobile”). To realize HAPS-based wireless communication services, it is essential to develop next-generation batteries with a high specific energy that can be operated in the stratosphere. Although the battery pack was previously tested in a test chamber that simulates the temperatures and atmospheric pressure of the stratosphere, the demonstration marked the first time for SoftBank to successfully test the battery pack in the stratosphere. The tested battery pack for HAPS was developed in cooperation with ENAX Inc. (“ENAX”).
Compared to commercialized lithium-ion batteries, lithium-metal batteries have a higher specific energy and are known to improve cycle life by applying high constraint pressure during charging and discharging. Therefore, when long-life lithium-metal battery cells are assembled into a battery pack, an increase in component weight due to a constraint mechanism poses a development challenge. Also, since a battery pack for HAPS needs to operate correctly even in stratospheric conditions at extremely low temperatures of around -60℃, it is necessary to develop a temperature control system that includes heaters and insulation materials to maintain a constant temperature … Read more at the Softbank website
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