HENDERSON, Nev., 19 March 2009. K2 Energy Solutions, a manufacturer of rechargeable battery systems for electric vehicles and energy storage applications, won a $119,000 contract from the U.S. Army's Communications-Electronics Research, Development, and Engineering Center (CERDEC) at Fort Monmouth, N.J.

The contract falls under the Army's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and calls for the development of an improved, ultra-safe BB-2590 rechargeable, high-power lithium ion battery for military applications.

The BB-2590 is designed to power rugged military devices, including portable electronics, military communication systems, robotics, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV). An advanced, more powerful BB-2590 will allow the Army to utilize the battery for more complex applications, such as Non-Line-of-Sight missile firing.

"This new contract allows K2 to take the Lithium Ion Phosphate battery technology we've already developed for commercial use and modify it in a way that is advantageous for the military," says Jim Hodge, chief technical officer at K2. "Not only will this new generation of battery provide the Army with a more powerful form of portable energy, but it will be at a much lower cost than hi-grade batteries currently being deployed."