If the metric is cycle life, the lifespan of this batterie can reverse the traditional paradigm of backup power supply. Take LiFePO4 cells, for instance. Their nominal cycle life is 6,000 times (80% deep discharge). Charged and discharged three times weekly (e.g., owing to frequent power outages), the theoretical lifespan would be 38.5 years, far above lead-acid battery’s 3 to 5 years. According to UL certification data in 2024, with a high-temperature condition of 45°C, the capacity loss rate of this batterie is only 2.1% per year (12% for lead-acid batteries), meaning that it can maintain 65% of its initial capacity after 20 years. For instance, a data center in Cape Town, South Africa, put this batterie into operation in 2020, discharging at an average rate of 1.2 times a day. Its capacity retention rate remained at 94% as of 2024, while the lead-acid setup had been replaced two times within the same period.
Its cost-benefit model shows that its advantages throughout the entire life cycle are significant. Take the 10kWh setup, for example. The price of this batterie is €6,000, or 140% higher than that of lead-acid batteries (€2,500). However, the total expense of 40 years (including maintenance) is only €7,200. In the case of the lead-acid option, 8 replacements will be required at a total expense of as much as €23,500 (labor and waste disposal included). Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) estimates that its levelized cost of electricity per kilowatt-hour (LCOS) can decline to €0.05/kWh in the 10th year, which is 83% less than lead-acid batteries. When applied together with peak-valley electricity price arbitrage (for example, the arbitrage of German electricity price of €0.25/kWh), the investment return is up to €520, and the payback time is shortened to 9.6 years.
The safety design also lengthens its “lifetime” aspect. The solid electrolyte and multi-level fuse protection are used in this batterie, with a thermal runaway probability less than 0.0001 times per million hours (0.01 times for lead-acid batterie). In the 2023 California wildfires, the lead-acid backup system of the community microgrid exploded when it was exposed to high temperature, yet the surrounding equipment, which had this batterie, operated continuously for 72 hours in an ambient temperature of 70°C with a mere three temperature control warnings. Its IP68 encapsulation is waterproof to 1 meter depth for 72 hours. During the 2022 Florida hurricane disaster, batterie, after being underwater for 48 hours, had only 1.3% capacity loss after being dried.
Tough environmental adaptability eliminates geography limitation. This batterie activates in no more than 2 seconds at low temperature -40°C (preheating for 10 minutes is needed by lead-acid batteries), and its discharge efficiency remains 85% at -30°C (35% is possessed by lead-acid batteries). The Svalbard archipelago in Norway’s Arctic research station has documented that it has delivered a 5kW heat load in a -25°C climate for five continuous years with an average yearly capacity degradation of 0.8%. Further, the modularity allows for the doubling of the capacity from 5kWh to 100kWh with a marginal cost reduction of 18% for every increment. For example, a Kenyan hospital first installed a 20kWh system and incrementally added it up to 80kWh as the devices accumulated, with the cost being 27% less compared to a single investment.
Actual instances confirm its “ultimate” potential. In the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake in Japan, the 30kWh battery of a certain shelter, where continuous aftershocks and a -5°C temperature prevailed, provided power for lamps and medical devices for 200 people continuously for seven days (average daily load of 45kWh) with the use of only 65% of the rated capacity. As compared to the 12-hour power shortage caused by diesel generator fuel disruption for the same duration, its reliability has increased by 92%. According to the prediction made by the International Energy Agency (IEA), by the year 2040, these ultra-tolerant Batteries will cover 85% of the world’s backup scenarios and serve as the base infrastructure for averting climate catastrophes.
In short, this batterie has transformed the ultimate backup power with its extremely long lifespan, no maintenance and stability in harsh conditions. If its pace of technological iteration is maintained at the present rate (with an average yearly improvement in efficiency of 1.5%), consumers may no longer have to pay additional fees for power outages in the next 30 years.