An Interview with Aaron Birt
Founder and CEO of Kinetic Batteries and Solvus Global
The project began in a renovated closet, but the goal was ambitious: to change the way batteries are made. Dr. Aaron Birt and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Professor Diran Apelian set out to develop technology that would reduce battery manufacturing costs, be more environmentally friendly, and incorporate more state-of-the art materials. Their startup, Kinetic Batteries, was formed in 2017 at WPI to do just that. Dr. Birt is also co-founder of Solvus Global, an innovation and incubation center in which Kinetic Batteries is now a standalone entity. I got to talk to Dr. Birt about the vision, journey, and technology behind his companies.
When Dr. Birt began this endeavor, he was a PHD student at WPI. At the time, he built almost all of his own equipment and facilities. But despite working out of the closet they had altered for their purposes, Dr. Birt says the environment was collaborative and supportive. The project was able to obtain small grants from places such as Mass Clean Energy Center and had the use of some professors’ labs. Dr. Birt recognizes that having university backing for both funding and research was crucial.
“One of the biggest lessons learned out of that was that if you've got a university backing, take the time inside of the university to develop the technology with assistance from the National Science Foundation or Department of Energy,” Dr. Birt says. “That’s where you can get a lot of funding to do a lot of really good work on projects that would be really difficult to get in the private markets.”
As they continued working with partners around the Northeast to obtain funding and avoid the venture capital route, the team discovered another challenge centered around the constantly changing technology in their field.
“When we started out, solid-state sulfide batteries were a pipe dream and weren’t ever going to exist, so everything we focused on was liquid electrolyte batteries,” Dr. Birt says. “By the time we had generated our first liquid electrolyte data, which was really only like a year into it, all the sudden nobody was talking about liquid electrolyte. Everybody wanted solid-state batteries.”
Once solid-state batteries became preferred, the team pivoted rapidly to match demand and funding opportunities. They were able to do some great work in this area. However, when evaluating the supply chain for these batteries long-term, it was quickly realized that there would be major issues. With the future in mind, Kinetic Batteries changed course yet again to sulfide-based solid-state electrolytes.
“I think those will be most likely to succeed in this space, but that means we’ve pivoted three times in the technology,” Dr. Birt acknowledges. “That’s a challenging technology sequence to ride when you’re essentially trying to bootstrap it through the early stages.”
The company’s ability to adapt has definitely paid off, Kinetic Batteries is on the cutting edge of battery technology, continuing to push innovation in the field. Their goal is not to be a competitor to large entities like Samsung, but rather a supplier that can be extremely profitable while also remaining focused on new technology, such as the cold spray process used in battery manufacturing.
The cold spray process uses the same technology that is used in modern-day rocket nozzles. In a rocket engine, gas flows through a nozzle and goes from a high pressure to low pressure region. It then comes to a choked (restricted) area to be expelled at extremely high speeds. Similar nozzle technology is used in cold spray but additional particles are inserted into the high pressure gas stream. After being given the power of a rocket, the particles’ momentum causes them to stick onto an object’s surface, creating a cold-metal bond or weld. Through this process, it is possible to create materials and coatings. This has uses in additive and battery manufacturing, coating technologies, and more. Cold spray allows for greater flexibility in manufacturing, decreases costs, reduces environmental impact, and doesn’t require combustible fuel or gasses.
Cold spray technology is catching on fast, which Dr. Birt says is taking the world by storm. His other venture, Solvus Global, even put together two cold-spray-focused events this summer; Action Team (CSAT) 2022 and Large Scale Additive Action Team (LSAAT) 2022.
Kinetic Batteries is currently one of five business units in the incubation hub of Solvus Global, along with Powders on Demand, B.I.G, VALIS, and APEX. It’s about more than just incubation, however. According to Dr. Birt, it’s really about helping these startups on every level; from business to technology. It’s a space that drives the development of technology but not losing sight of important milestones like reaching customer traction and creating a commercially viable product. Currently, Solvus is in the process of rolling out VALIS and Powders on Demand to be standalone entities, with team members taking over ownership stakes and launching the companies to scale.
“My job is to make sure that the Solvus business model is realized, which is that our employees are empowered to take over and transition these companies,” Dr. Birt says.
To find out more, visit the Kinetic Batteries and Solvus Global websites.