San Diego battery startup South 8 Technologies has executed a $9.2 million grant agreement under California’s PowerForward Battery Manufacturing program, funding expansion of its LiGas® liquefied gas electrolyte production at its San Diego headquarters. PowerForward is a $67 million California Energy Commission program, administered by CALSTART, aimed at attracting and retaining zero-emission vehicle battery manufacturing in California.
LiGas replaces conventional liquid electrolytes with a patented blend of liquefied non-toxic gases held under pressure. The technology delivers an effective operating range of –60 °C to +60 °C, with a freezing point below –100 °C — conventional electrolytes weaken at 0 °C and freeze at –20 °C. South 8 targets specific energy above 425 Wh/kg. The extreme-temperature performance is relevant both for cold-climate EV range and for defense and aerospace applications where standard cells fail.
Under the grant, South 8 plans to reach annual production capacity of 100 MWh of LiGas electrolyte and 2 MWh of battery cells at its San Diego facility. Cell manufacturing will be integrated with partner Nanotech Energy. The company is targeting gigafactory integration readiness for LiGas starting in 2028.
“We’re excited to scale production of our advanced LiGas electrolyte and high-performance, resilient battery cells,” said Jungwoo Lee, CEO of South 8 Technologies.
South 8 has drawn funding from backers with defense and extreme-environment interests, including Lockheed Martin Ventures, W. L. Gore & Associates and Porsche Ventures. It also holds a partnership with LG Energy Solution for aerospace battery applications.
Source: South 8 Technologies
