Business · Companies · 2 hrs ago
1414 Degrees invests $1 million to scale battery material for drone testing
Australian company 1414 Degrees is investing $1 million to increase production of SiNTL, a material intended for use in battery anodes.
It is developing production processes at George Washington University in the United States and at its Tonsley facility in South Australia.
The company says tests show SiNTL has at least 50% greater specific capacity than graphite, a widely used anode material.
Higher battery capacity for a given weight could help drones and satellites stay in operation longer or carry more equipment, but partner testing will assess whether SiNTL delivers practical benefits.
Battery cells are planned at Rochester Institute of Technology late in 2026, with evaluations involving Ukrainian drone maker Energia-2000 and European satellite company Space Industries.
The company also aims to make SiNTL compatible with existing lithium-ion battery manufacturing processes.
It says scaling production at both sites is intended to show that the material can be made consistently in larger volumes.
1414 Degrees is investing $1 million to increase production of its SiNTL battery anode material for drone and satellite testing.
The company is running production programs at George Washington University in the United States and its Tonsley facility in South Australia.
It says SiNTL has shown at least 50% greater specific capacity than traditional graphite anodes.
Planned battery cells will be evaluated by Ukrainian drone manufacturer Energia-2000 and European satellite company Space Industries.
The testing will assess whether SiNTL can improve range, payload and mission duration.
- Who
- 1414 Degrees is developing the material, with testing planned by Energia-2000 and Space Industries.
- What
- The company is investing $1 million to scale up production of its SiNTL battery anode material for partner testing.
- When
- Production is targeted at George Washington University in November 2026 and at Tonsley from December. Battery cell builds are planned for late in the year.
- Where
- George Washington University in the United States, Tonsley in South Australia and Rochester Institute of Technology.
- Why
- To evaluate SiNTL for drone and satellite batteries and advance its production toward commercial use.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Our objective is to prove that SINTL batteries can outperform traditional graphite-based batteries in the most demanding defence and commercial applications, and then rapidly commercialise our technology for widespread industry adoption,
The Tonsley work gives 14D its own process know-how for producing SiNTL at volume, and that’s the part a cell manufacturer will look at when deciding whether it can go into their lines.
1414 Degrees is targeting scaled-up SiNTL material production at George Washington University.
The company is targeting scaled-up production at its Tonsley facility.
Battery cell builds are planned at Rochester Institute of Technology to support partner evaluation programs.
- Investment
- $1 million
- Capacity claim
- At least 50% greater specific capacity than traditional graphite anodes
- US production site
- George Washington University
- Australian production site
- Tonsley, South Australia
- Planned testing partners
- Energia-2000 and Space Industries
Sources
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