Brisbane-based battery casing technology company Vaulta has been awarded the 2022 Australian Good Design Award for Sustainability for its “Simply Superior Battery Casing Technology”.
Starting out in a shared garage in Brisbane’s north in 2019, Vaulta and its founder Dominic Spooner have designed a lighter and smaller battery case that needs fewer parts thanks to advanced composite materials and a smart, streamlined design.
Weighing and measuring 10-15% less than traditional battery casing, Vaulta’s battery casing is battery cell-agnostic, and the weld-free design allows cells to be replaced, helping to enhance the second-life value for cells and casing parts.
It is this focus on a more environmentally friendly and recyclable battery casing which has won Vaulta the 2022 Australian Good Design Award for Sustainability, thanks to the potential promise of reducing EV battery waste.
“Recycling batteries is functionally too expensive to be a realistic option for companies,” explained Dr Brandon Gien, CEO of Good Design Australia and Chair of the Awards, who added that these concerns have influenced the slow takeup of EVs.
The simple design of Vaulta’s battery casing technology means that it can be used to power everything from small electric motorbikes up to electric buses and trucks.
There is also the potential, as Gien explains, for use in other industries.
“The Vaulta battery case is also flexible in terms of applications from small wearables, power tools, and domestic appliances through to industrial equipment, residential and grid scale storage, electric vehicles, and other personal mobility equipment such as scooters and electric bikes,” said Gien.
“Vaulta demonstrates evidence of being a ‘game-changer’ during a global growth phase in battery use and uptake of renewable energy technologies.”
Vaulta has already secured partnerships with companies in Australia, the United States, and Canada, and is expecting to roll out stationary solutions in the near future before moving into EVs and mobile solutions.
“I’m very pleased with the recognition this award brings, particularly as it helps showcase our solution to battery waste, a growing and devastating problem that Australia needs to tackle now,” said Dominic Spooner, founder and CEO of Vaulta, in a statement to The Driven.
“What it shows is we have the right design, and it is ready to go now – made in Australia and ready to scale globally.
“I’m honoured to be recognised by this award which also reflects the hard work of my research and development engineer Jerome Douven as well as our wider support network.”
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.
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