About:Energy forges technology licensing agreement to advance battery modelling

About:Energy, a player in battery development software, has announced a technology licensing agreement with the University of Portsmouth and the University of Southampton. This partnership is set to advance battery modelling and expedite electrification in the automotive and energy storage sectors.

The collaboration involves About:Energy developing the universities' groundbreaking technology, DandeLiion – an ultra-fast system designed to simplify and enhance the accuracy of modelling advanced electrochemical battery systems. Integrating DandeLiion technology with its own software platform, The Voltt, About:Energy aims to significantly reduce the cost and time involved in battery development. This integration will also improve battery management in the field, extending their lifetime with partners. The startup, a spinout from Imperial College London and the University of Birmingham, plans to incorporate DandeLiion into its global market software early next year.

Enhancing the mathematics in battery models will facilitate the wider adoption of more advanced electrochemical models, increasingly used in cell design and to reduce charging times. These models provide crucial insights into the physical processes within a cell, optimizing performance and efficiency.

Neil Morris, Chairman and Co-Founder of About:Energy, remarked: “The UK is renowned for its research excellence, but there's a crucial need to translate this into tangible industry impacts. We've been collaborating closely with leading academic institutions like Southampton and Portsmouth to bridge this gap, ensuring that UK grant funding is not just an investment in research, but a catalyst for real-world innovation and economic growth.”

About:Energy's dedication to identifying and commercialising groundbreaking research from universities underscores its role in bringing innovative academic findings to the forefront of industry applications. With this latest development, About:Energy now formally licenses technology from five universities, including Cranfield University, Imperial College London, and the University of Birmingham.

Dr Giles Richardson, Project Manager of DandeLiion, said: “We are delighted to partner with About:Energy to bring DandeLiion to market. This breakthrough in battery modelling enables faster, more accurate simulations and wider application in cloud and embedded systems. By integrating DandeLiion into their platform, About:Energy is unlocking unprecedented progress in energy storage and management across automotive and renewables. We are proud our research will now translate into real-world impacts, supporting electrification and a sustainable future.”

DandeLiion, the battery modelling technology, was developed over several years by researchers Professor Giles Richardson, Dr Jamie Foster, Dr Ivan Korotkin, and Dr Smita Sahu, with support from The Faraday Institution, receiving £2 million in funding over five years.