In the rapidly growing commercial drone industry, battery performance is critical to success, directly impacting flight time, range, and operational efficiency. For commercial drone missions to work effectively, operators must match the right batteries to the right operations. But determining which power sources are best for maximizing flight time and distance can be difficult. That’s where the new partnership between Upgrade Energy and Amprius Technologies comes in.

This partnership brings Upgrade Energy’s high-energy density battery packs powered by Amprius' advanced silicon anode technology to commercial drone operators, addressing the critical need to extend flight time and range.

“This collaboration is particularly targeted towards UAVs and electric aircraft,” explained Ronnie Tao, VP of Business Development for Amprius. “We’re offering lightweight, high-performance battery packs with energy densities exceeding 285 Wh/kg, empowering drone-based missions to achieve significantly longer flight range and duration,” he said.

California-based Amprius claims to make “the highest known energy density lithium-ion batteries in the world.” As Tao explained to Commercial UAV News, these batteries “deliver up to 100% higher energy density than standard lithium-ion batteries.” Because they provide more energy and power with much less weight and volume, these power sources, Tao said, are ideal for a range of commercial drone operations, including package delivery, inspections, and public safety.

While Amprius provides breakthrough battery technology, Upgrade Energy bridges the gap by ensuring the battery pack solutions meet the specific needs of drone operators. Upgrade Energy helps commercial drone operators find the right Amprius power sources for their work. Also based in California, Upgrade Energy is a battery integrator that has worked with clients ranging from DroneUp to DroneSense to the US Army.

“A lot of the time the battery sector doesn’t understand the drone sector and the drone sector doesn’t understand the battery sector, but we understand both,” said Upgrade Energy’s founder, Matt Barnard. “This lets us act as a kind of spokesperson for both sides of the equation and try to find a balance of all the different attributes that go into the batteries and go into the drones.”

Finding that balance of attributes, Barnard asserts, can enable drone-based missions to greatly increase value. Drone delivery is one area where finding the right balance is essential.

“We work with many of the primary delivery drone companies, and some of the requirements they face concern distance and weight,” Barnard explained. “We find that the partnership between us and Amprius allows us to build something that is highly specific to meet the needs of the delivery companies.”

This work, however, goes beyond the delivery sector. Barnard said that “expanding the delivery radius of delivery drones is one of our primary value propositions to the commercial sector, but that extends to other applications. Whether you’re carrying a package or a camera, the more minutes you add ‘on target’ can increase the value of a mission. Working with Amprius, we’re able to help many companies make their drone operations more profitable.”

As drone technology continues to advance, partnerships like the one between Upgrade Energy and Amprius will play a pivotal role in pushing the boundaries of what's possible, enabling drones to operate longer, farther, and with greater efficiency across industries