SBIR SUCCESS Parthian Battery Solutions is Unlocking New Life for Retired Batteries
The growing reliance on lithium-ion batteries has ushered in a critical challenge: managing these batteries at the end of their useful life. Without effective solutions, we run the risk of losing out on their significant remaining useful value and the critical rare-earth minerals contained within. This gap in end-of-life management is compounded by the lack of trusted sales channels and transparent methods to evaluate battery quality and assess their potential for second-life applications. Parthian Battery Solutions is determined to change that.
Founded in 2021 by CEO Auggie Chico, a graduate of West Virginia University and Columbia Business School’s MBA program, Parthian Battery Solutions is on a mission to overhaul the future of battery circularity in West Virginia and beyond. Operating in the battery lifecycle management space, Parthian offers a platform that combines a resale marketplace with proprietary health assessment technology, creating a trusted channel for transacting high-value second-life batteries. The company’s diagnostics make it just as safe and easy to buy, sell, and deploy second-life lithium-ion batteries as their brand-new counterparts.
“Right now, lithium-ion batteries are critical to our modern economy, powering everything from electric vehicles to our grid modernization, and next-gen consumer electronics. These batteries have already been proliferated and deployed everywhere, but the infrastructure, technology, and processes available to manage them at the end of their useful life is something that's not quite as developed. Experts like Argonne National Laboratory have identified reuse as the best use case for these retired batteries, but the issue lies in a lack of visibility into the quality and health of retired batteries. Gaining this insight is a critical first step in determining how they can be safely utilized. So, Parthian has developed a fast, scalable, and highly accurate solution to diagnose battery state of health to understand how, if at all, they can be reused in second life applications and beyond,” Chico said.
Federal funding has played a key role in the company’s development; they have completed a Phase I STTR project with the National Science Foundation and have submitted a Phase II proposal. These activities reflect the use of federal support in advancing their battery assessment technology. Additionally, Parthian has raised pre-seed funding through private investment via a SAFE note, positioning the company to capitalize on the expanding market opportunity.
