Coulomb Technology developing battery cells to transform the energy storage, backup power, and e-mobility sectors
The focus is on zinc batteries, a new generation of rechargeables that are rapidly gaining popularity as an alternative to traditional lithium-ion batteries.
Several years ago, Tim Vosburgh decided to jump back into the battery sector looking to solve the myriad of challenges presented by the current lithium and lead-acid batteries.
He recently relocated from Boise, ID to Knoxville to help fulfill his dream. Vosburgh has been self-funding a start-up named Coulomb Technology that is now part of the 2024 cohort of the “Innovation Crossroads” program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
Founded in November 2022, the company is pioneering the development of revolutionary battery cells aimed at transforming the energy storage, backup power, and e-mobility sectors. Its innovative technology leverages zinc, manganese dioxide, and seawater, offering a safer and more sustainable alternative to traditional lithium-ion batteries.
Coulomb’s batteries are not only designed to be faster charging but also come at half the cost of current lithium-ion solutions, addressing the pressing need for cost-effective energy storage.
“Battery development takes a lot of time and a lot of people,” Vosburgh says. He has 10 employees – about half full-time and the others part-time. He recently relocated his lab work from New Jersey to Knoxville where the team is now working at ORNL and at the Spark Innovation Center to continue their development.
Vosburgh explains that zinc batteries are a new generation of rechargeable batteries that are rapidly gaining popularity as an alternative to traditional lithium-ion batteries. They offer a range of benefits making them an ideal choice for a wide range of applications. Those benefits include:
- Safety (virtually no fire issues, no toxic materials, or toxic gas generation);
- A robust operating temperature range from -20C to 60C;
- High battery Round-Trip Efficiency (RTE) and low Self-Discharge rates;
- Use of earth-abundant materials; and
- Much lower cost.
In addition to the funding through the two-year ORNL Fellowship, Coulomb Technology has also received $50,000 in funding from the Cradle to Commerce (C2C) program at Argonne National Laboratory and $40,000 through the New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology voucher program.
Vosburgh says he’s an “entrepreneur and sales guy” with a strong background in the semiconductor industry. After eight years at Celerity, he moved to Apple for about three years where he was involved in high-volume manufacturing. He even founded an earlier company in the thin film battery space.
“There’s a lot of synergy in how you make batteries and the semiconductor sector,” Vosburgh explains.
How did he decide on “Innovation Crossroads’”?
Vosburgh says that he met two ORNL Corporate Fellows – Dr. Parans Paranthaman and Dr. Ilias Belharouak. “This seemed like a welcoming and comfortable place,” he added.
Within a year or so, Vosburgh hopes to scale up production in conjunction with corporate partners. He also is hoping to raise a $2 million round to cover one year of work to achieve results in a 5Ah pouch cell and start our prismatic cell and pilot development.
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