Li-S Energy sees lithium-sulfur battery chemistry validated by 30min UAV test flight

Li-S Energy (ASX:LIS) has reported it used a twelve-cell lithium sulfur battery pack to power a small UAV for 30 minutes.

The fixed wing asset, which doesn’t use quadcopter style propellors and instead was hand launched or ‘catapulted,’ stayed airborne for half an hour – and didn’t even use up all the battery’s life.

The battery also successfully recharged on the way back to the company’s HQ.

That, in Li-S Energy’s eyes, is testament enough to the potential of its lithium sulfur-style battery configurations (as opposed to lithium-ion and/or myriad battery chemistries.)

“The Li-S Energy team built the 6S2P battery pack using twelve 10Ah Li-S cells … with a nominal pack voltage of 11.4V, a capacity of 20Ah, and a weight of 550 grams at a pack level,” the company wrote on Monday.

The weight of 550 grams is important to the company given its focus on pivoting into battery supply for small UAVs. For obvious reasons, the lighter the better.

(For enthusiasts: the drone used was a 2.4m wingspan fixed wing single motor.)

It’s the latest good news story for Li-S Energy which has recently posted some fairly impressive yearly returns on the back of newsflow momentum. (Science Minister Ed Husic visited the company’s facilities back in August.)

“This month we are demonstrating our cells in a full battery pack, successfully powering an uncrewed aircraft in flight profiles typically required by our target markets,” Li-S CEO Lee Finniear said.

“It accelerates us toward the integrated battery pack needed for our “dawn- ‘til-dusk” drone program, and clearly demonstrates to our target markets that Li-S Energy is a credible power delivery solution for drone, eAviation, and security applications.”

According to its website, the company relies on Boron Nitride Nanotubes, shortened to BNNTs.

LIS last traded at 22cps.

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