• StoreDot brings ultra-fast charging (UFC) to the drone market for the first time, reducing charging times from a minimum of one hour to just 5 minutes (see video here)
• UFC overcomes two of the major barriers that have prevented the drone industry from realizing its full potential – the need for a “man-in-the-loop” to replace battery packs between missions and restrictions on where charging stations can be located
• Drones now able to spend much more of their flight time engaged in active missions, making the ROI for delivery companies and other commercial drone users significantly more attractive

Tel Aviv, Israel, 29^th July – Twelve months ago, ultra-fast charging (UFC) pioneer, StoreDot, achieved a world first with its partner BP by successfully fully-charging a two-wheeled electric vehicle in just 5 minutes. Today, the company is launching its award-winning UFC technology for the drone industry, having achieved its mission of fully-charging a commercial drone in five minutes – another world first. This milestone overcomes two major barriers associated with slow charging times that has prevented the drone industry from realizing its full potential and finally makes continuous, fully-autonomous drone operation a reality.

Today, it typically takes between 60 to 90 minutes to charge a commercial drone, with full charge giving a flight time of just over 30 minutes. As a result, drones spend far longer in the charging station that in operation – an unacceptable level of downtime for any application. To overcome this problem, additional batteries must be purchased and swapped out between flights. This process is not only costly, but also requires a ‘man-in-the-loop’ to replace the batteries, which ultimately negates one of the main benefits of drone use – autonomous operation.

The need for a person to be involved in the charging process also limits drone users’ range of operation, as they are restricted to locating charging stations at sites that are easily accessible to humans. This means that drones currently have to spend much of their limited flight time travelling to and from the nearest charging point, greatly reducing their operational efficiency. It also restricts the use of drones in harsh or dangerous terrains – often where they could bring the greatest benefits.

Dr. Doron Myersdorf, CEO of StoreDot comments: “The launch of a UFC solution for drones changes the game. By reducing battery charging time to just 5 minutes – which is up to 18 times faster than existing drone batteries – and eliminating the need for human intervention, drone operators have far greater freedom about where they can site charging stations. As a result, continuous, fully-autonomous drone operation is finally being made a reality.

“Drones will now be able to spend much more of their valuable flight time engaged in actual missions, greatly extending their range, rather than having to return to base to have their battery swapped out. At the same time, UFC will also enable drone users to expand their operations into regions they could not previously access. Both of these factors will significantly increase operational efficiencies and profitability, making the business case for drone use much more attractive than ever before,” he adds.

When used with the required ultra-fast charging station, StoreDot FlashBattery technology drastically reduces drone charging times with very little tradeoff in terms of energy density, meaning that flight time is only slightly reduced. Crucially, this is achieved at a price point that is competitive with existing drone battery technology when the total cost of operation is considered. Sample cells are now available to drone manufacturers for testing, with full commercialization expected end of this year.

“In applications where cutting response times is critical, and where organizations must also demonstrate a commitment to reducing their carbon footprint, the use of drones can play a crucial role in helping to establish a competitive advantage,” Dr. Myersdorf explains. “However, commercial drone ventures haven’t really taken off up until now as they haven’t yet delivered an economical business model. For these types of companies, UFC technology can hugely improve and extend their existing operations and make them much more profitable. We believe this technology can also open the door for new players to enter this space and extend their service offering, making drones a more attractive proposition as a new revenue stream.”

StoreDot is an award-winning, Israeli-based battery and materials innovation leader with a proven track record of bringing transformative change to the mobility industry with its unique UFC FlashBattery technology. In collaboration with its strategic partners – BP, Daimler, TDK and EVE Energy – it is making huge strides in helping to increase mainstream adoption of electric vehicles by overcoming two of the biggest barriers – range and charging anxiety. In 2019, it demonstrated the world’s first full charge of a two-wheeled vehicle. It is now on track to achieve its next electric vehicle milestone by the end of 2021 – the five-minute charge of a four-wheeled passenger vehicle.

In collaboration with Airscort.

• StoreDot 首次将超快速充电 (UFC) 引入无人机市场，充电时间从最少一小时减少到仅 5 分钟（观看视频）
• UFC 克服了妨碍无人机行业释放全部潜力的两大主要障碍：一是任务之间需要依靠“人在回路”以更换电池组，二是对充电站位置有限制
• 无人机现在可以将更多飞行时间用于执行有效任务，使快递公司和其他商用无人机用户的投资回报率更具吸引力

以色列特拉维夫 – 2020年9月23日 – 2019年，超快速充电 (UFC) 开拓者 StoreDot 与其合作伙伴 BP 实现了一项世界第一的创举——在短短 5 分钟内成功给一台两轮电动车充满电。今天，这家公司向无人机行业推出了其备受赞誉的 UFC 技术，完成了在 5 分钟内给一架商用无人机充满电的任务，再次拿下一个世界第一。这一里程碑式的成就克服了影响充电时长的两大障碍，使无人机行业得以发挥全部潜力，最终让连续且完全自主的无人机运行成为现实。

目前，商用无人机充电通常需要 60 至 90 分钟，充满电后的飞行时间却只有 30 多分钟。如此一来，无人机待在充电站的时间便远远超过了工作时间，如此长的停机时间对任何应用来说都是无法接受的。为了解决此问题，必须购买额外的电池，并在两次飞行之间更换电池。这个过程不仅成本高昂，而且需要依靠“人在回路”来更换电池，无人机使用的主要优势之一——自主运行——也不复存在。

充电过程需要人参与也会限制无人机用户的运营范围，因为他们必须将充电站设置在人类易于接近的地点。这意味着无人机目前不得不将其有限飞行时间的很大一部分花费在往返最近充电点的路程上，大大降低了其运行效率。另外，无人机在恶劣或危险地域中的使用也会因此受限，而这通常是无人机所具备的最大优势。

StoreDot 首席执行官 Doron Myersdorf 博士表示：“针对无人机的 UFC 解决方案的问世改变了游戏规则。电池充电时间缩短到仅 5 分钟——比现有无人机电池充电速度最多快了 18 倍，并且消除人工干预，无人机运营商将能更自由地选择充电站的设置地点。由此带来的结果是，连续且完全自主的无人机运行终于变成现实。

“无人机现在能将更多的宝贵飞行时间用来执行实际任务，大大扩展其航程，而不必返回基地更换电池。与此同时，UFC 还使得无人机用户能将其业务拓展到以前无法到达的地方。这两个因素都会大大提高运营效率和盈利能力，让无人机应用的商业案例比以往任何时候都更具吸引力。”他补充说。

当配合超快速充电站使用时，StoreDot FlashBattery 技术可大幅缩短无人机充电时间，而能量密度方面的损失却非常小，因此飞行时长只会略有减少。至关重要的是，考虑到总运营成本，我们为了实现这一点所提供的价格仍能与现有无人机电池技术相竞争。电池样品现已提供给无人机制造商进行测试，有望在今年年底全面商业化。

Myersdorf 博士解释说：“在需要努力缩短响应时间，同时组织还必须践行减少碳足迹承诺的应用场景中，无人机的使用可以发挥关键作用，帮助企业奠定竞争优势。然而，由于至今还没有一个经济可行的商业模式，商业无人机企业尚未真正起飞。对于此类公司，UFC 技术可以极大地改善和拓展其现有业务，并大幅提高其盈利能力。我们相信，这项技术也可以为试图进入这一领域的新玩家打开大门并助其扩大服务范围，使无人机业务成为更具吸引力的新收入流来源。”

StoreDot 是屡获殊荣的以色列电池和材料创新领导者，其利用独特的 UFC FlashBattery 技术为移动行业带来变革，在业界留下了诸多优秀案例。通过与 BP、Daimler、TDK 和 EVE Energy 等战略伙伴合作，该公司努力克服两个最大的障碍——续航里程和充电焦虑，从而极大地帮助提高了主流社会对电动汽车的接受度。2019 年，该公司展示了世界第一的两轮车超快速充电技术。现在，该公司正在努力实现下一个电动车里程碑——到 2021 年底，在 5 分钟内完成一台四轮乘用车的充电。