DoW Awards Amprius $75M to Convert EV Battery Line for Drones — SkimNews
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- Department of War awarded Amprius Technologies a $75 million grant through its Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program (IBAS) to convert a US-based EV battery production line into military drone battery output.
- Amprius Technologies, a California-based battery developer, will modify a line operated by a "major South Korean manufacturer" to produce NDAA-compliant pouch cells, with conversion completion planned for early 2028.
- The converted line is expected to produce 12 million Amprius cells annually, and the project is backed by an additional $25 million from "other sources" beyond the DoW grant.
- Amprius previously received a $15 million order in 2024 from an anonymous "leading Unmanned Aircraft System manufacturer" whose identity has not been disclosed.
- Amprius CEO Tom Stepien framed the award as establishing "a primary source of domestic, NDAA-compliant battery production" for Group 1, 2, and 3 unmanned aerial systems.
Why it matters: The grant funnels $100 million total into converting civilian EV infrastructure for defense use, creating a 12-million-cell-per-year domestic drone battery supply chain by early 2028. The South Korean manufacturing partner signals continued reliance on allied production know-how even as Washington frames the award as "domestic" manufacturing.
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