KULR and Andretti to Partner on Thermal Management Testing and Design Platform

KULR Technology Group, which develops lithium-ion battery safety and thermal management technologies, recently announced a new technology and development partnership with auto racing team Andretti Autosport. 

Images courtesy of KULR and Andretti Autosport.

Working with Andretti’s advanced technology unit, the San Diego-based company will build a thermal management testing and design platform adapted for the global racing enterprise. The parties aim to develop motorsports battery and safety solutions marketed to automotive partners for use in mass-market EV applications. 

Andretti Technologies Chief Technology Officer Roger Griffiths stated in the announcement that the partnership provides Andretti with the technical resources to “accelerate engineering and scale battery system development in a sustainable way, while also allowing us access to KULR’s hardware expertise to help compete with the largest OEMs in the most competitive motorsport races on the planet.”

KULR’s thermal management and battery safety solutions target several markets, from aerospace and defense to battery transportation to 5G and cloud computing, EVs and energy storage. Its thermal runaway shield technology was used to ship and store laptop batteries on the International Space Station, its carbon fiber thermal management solutions were used in the Mars Rover launch, and it was awarded a dual-use technology development agreement with NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center to build 3D-printed battery systems for manned space applications. 

Over the last year, KULR has also been focusing on filling the demand for heat management solutions in the EV market. Last summer, Drako Motors announced KULR’s thermal interface material would be used in its new all-electric GTE supercar. 

KULR’s new partnership with Andretti further signals its expansion from a component supplier to a design and testing service provider for both private- and public-sector customers. KULR’s commercial growth opportunities are further fueled by an $8 million capital raise closed in January. 

In announcing its fourth-quarter 2020 earnings earlier this month, KULR stated its next step is to provide “total systems solutions” to address the demand for thermal management solutions. 

“To scale up as a systems provider more quickly and efficiently in the energy storage, EV transportations and hypersonic vehicle thermal management markets, KULR will actively seek partners for joint venture, technology licensing and other strategic partnership models,” the company stated in a press release.