SA03 SiCore lithium-ion pouch cell

The SA03 SiCore lithium-ion pouch cell from Amprius is a silicon-anode battery cell for pack integrators who build rechargeable power systems for electric aircraft and other weight-sensitive platforms. It belongs to the SiCore cell family, which Amprius positions for unmanned aviation, manned aviation, light electric vehicles, robotics and other mobility uses, and it is supplied as a bare cell for assembly into battery packs rather than as a finished pack.

The headline figures are a specific energy of 400 Wh/kg and a volumetric energy density of 875 Wh/L. For a drone or eVTOL designer, specific energy sets how much usable energy each kilogram of cell mass carries, so it translates directly into flight time or payload margin for a given airframe mass. The volumetric figure matters when the pack volume is limited by the fuselage or battery bay.

Rated capacity is 11.8 Ah, with a maximum continuous discharge rate of 1C. At 1C the cell delivers roughly its rated capacity in current for one hour, so this is a high-energy cell for cruise-dominated missions rather than a high-power cell for aggressive climbs or short bursts. Pack designers who need more peak power typically add parallel cells so that the load per cell stays within the 1C continuous limit. The listed cycle life is 300 cycles, which a fleet operator should weigh against the planned depth of discharge and the cost per flight hour.

The cell uses a pouch format with a length of 139.5 mm and a width of 52.5 mm. Pouch cells have no rigid can, so the pack structure has to provide compression, spacing and thermal paths, and the integrator is responsible for the battery management system, cell balancing, cell tabs and enclosure. Series and parallel arrangements are chosen to match the bus voltage and current needs of the propulsion system.

Amprius sells its cell data on request through a catalog and technical-specification form, which suits engineering teams that need the full electrical and abuse-tolerance data before locking a pack design. The SA03 is relevant to multirotors, fixed-wing and VTOL unmanned aircraft, high-altitude platforms and other applications where mass is the dominant constraint on range and endurance.

Typical uses include battery packs for long-endurance unmanned aircraft, eVTOL demonstrators and robotics platforms where energy per unit mass decides the mission profile.