Altech – CERENERGY® First 60 KWh Prototype Online and Achieving Great Results

Altech Batteries Limited (ASX: ATC, FRA: A3Y) is pleased to announce that its first CERENERGY® ABS60 battery prototype is online and operating successfully. The completed battery unit has passed all physical tests with flying colours. The prototype was installed at Altech’s joint venture partner Fraunhofer IKTS’ test laboratory in Dresden, Germany, and integrated into a specially designed battery test station. This setup enables continuous daily charging and discharging cycles to assess the battery's efficiency, stability, and overall performance under real-world conditions.

Highlights

• CERENERGY® 60 KWh prototype completed and operating
• Undergoing daily testing with battery test station at Dresden
• Outperformed early expectations
• Exhibiting exceptional efficiency and robust performance
• Maintains safe, optimal operating temperatures
• Ongoing testing providing critical data for off-take parties
• Strong commercial potential for large-scale production
• Separate individual cell testing conducted
• Demonstrates performance to published specifications

Photo: Ms Daniela Herold (Fraunhofer IKTS Battery Development Leader) taking CERENERGY® ABS60 through its paces

Altech’s CEO and MD Iggy Tan stated “We are extremely pleased that the first CERENERGY® 60kWh battery prototype is now up and running and operating better than expected, reconfirming our confidence in the sodium-chloride solid-state battery technology developed by the world-leading Fraunhofer Institute in Germany. Using common table salt technology and without the requirement for lithium, copper, cobalt, graphite and manganese, the CERENERGY® battery can operate in a wide range of temperatures and has a life of 15 years, around double that of lithium-ion batteries.

The prototype can now be demonstrated under real-world conditions, providing critical data for off-take parties. This will be invaluable as Altech pushes forward with sales and finance to construct the first 120MWh plant. With the first Letter of Intent for 30MWh of offtake with Schwarze Pumpe Industrial Park recently announced, we envisage that having the CERENERGY® 60kWh battery prototype up and running and exceeding expectations, will further assist in the offtake process”.

Initial results from the testing are extremely promising. The ABS60 battery has outperformed early expectations, exhibiting exceptional efficiency and robust performance across all key metrics. Notably, the battery has maintained excellent thermal stability, a crucial factor in high-capacity energy storage systems. Throughout rigorous testing, it has operated within safe temperature limits, with no signs of overheating. This highlights the effectiveness of the battery's thermal management system, which plays a vital role in enhancing both the safety and longevity of the battery. These early findings confirm the battery’s design integrity and bolster confidence in its commercial viability. The ABS60 prototype is expected to continue undergoing further testing and refinement, providing critical data for potential off-take parties.

The success of this prototype positions Altech Batteries at the forefront of advanced battery technology, offering a reliable and efficient energy storage solution.

Comment from Mr Uwe Ahrens,
Managing Director of Altech Batteries GmbH

You Tube https://youtu.be/BLrh0bHutlclink

Individual Cell Testing

An individual cell testing program has also been conducted by the Fraunhofer team at Hermsdorf, Germany. Separate battery cells underwent extensive testing, highlighting their performance and stability. A total of 497 individual battery cells were produced. The cells were tested at an operational temperature of 300°C. Key results from over 500 cycles demonstrated stable performance, including a consistent discharge capacity of 80 Ah and an efficiency of up to 91%. The discharge energy and capacity remained stable without any indication of degradation occurring across the 500 cycles, and the average discharge voltage held steady throughout the tests.

Discharge and overcharge stress and abuse tests were conducted without any cell failures, confirming the cells’ durability. These findings demonstrate the cells’ potential for long-term stability, high energy capacity, and reliability in high-temperature applications.

Photo: Prototype 60 KWh battery being assembled and tested at Fraunhofer IKTS laboratory

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