Amprius and Stafl Systems Forge Strategic Partnership in High-Performance Battery Market

FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 22, 2024--

Amprius Technologies, Inc.(“Amprius”) (NYSE: AMPX), a leader in next-generation lithium-ion batteries with its Silicon Anode Platform, today announced a strategic partnership with Stafl Systems, a pioneer in advanced battery pack manufacturing, to offer high-performance battery solutions. This collaboration marks a significant step forward in driving innovation and accelerating the adoption of high-performance battery solutions for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and urban air mobility (UAM) applications.

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Amprius and Stafl Systems expect this collaboration to increase sales, expand market reach, and gain greater market share in the high-performance battery market segment. Under this alliance, Amprius will serve as Stafl Systems' preferred battery cell supplier by providing its high-performance SiCore™ battery cells. Amprius will work closely with Stafl Systems to facilitate timely battery evaluation and testing to ensure optimal performance for its targeted applications.

“We are confident that this partnership with Stafl Systems will help us continue innovating in the high-performance battery market,” said Ronnie Tao, Vice President of Business Development at Amprius Technologies. “By combining our cutting-edge SiCore battery cell technology with Stafl Systems' advanced pack manufacturing capabilities, we are poised to offer custom battery pack products at an increased volume with unparalleled performance, safety and reliability. We look forward to advancing our unmatched battery solutions to meet the evolving needs of electric mobility applications through this partnership.”

Stafl Systems, in turn, will act as Amprius' preferred battery pack integrator, leveraging its extensive experience in developing and manufacturing advanced battery packs tailored to specific customer needs. Stafl Systems carefully designs its battery management systems (BMS) to ensure unparalleled accuracy, reliability, and safety, providing significant benefits in precise state-of-charge (SOC) and state-of-health (SOH) measurements. By incorporating Amprius' high-energy SiCore cells into its battery packs, Stafl Systems expects to enhance the performance of its products, catering to the growing demand for high-performance batteries in electric mobility.

“The partnership with Amprius is an exciting development for our aviation and high-performance customers,” said Stafl Systems President Erik Stafl. “By integrating Amprius' SiCore cells into our battery packs, we aim to set new standards for performance and reliability in the industry, addressing the increasing demand for highly advanced battery solutions.”

For more information on Amprius, please visit the Company’s investor relations website at https://ir.amprius.com.

About Amprius Technologies, Inc.

Amprius Technologies, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of high-energy and high-power lithium-ion batteries producing the industry’s highest known energy density cells. The company’s commercially available SiMaxx™ batteries deliver up to 450 Wh/kg and 1,150 Wh/L, with third-party validation of 500Wh/kg and 1,300 Wh/L. The company’s corporate headquarters is in Fremont, California, where it maintains an R&D lab and a MWh scale manufacturing facility for the fabrication of silicon anodes and cells. To serve customer demand, Amprius entered into a lease agreement for an approximately 774,000 square foot facility in Brighton, Colorado and expanded its product portfolio to include the SiCore™ platform. For additional information, please visit amprius.com. Also, see the company’s LinkedIn and Twitter pages.

About Stafl Systems

Stafl Systems designs and manufactures battery packs and powertrain solutions for the aviation, marine, off-highway and defense industries. Stafl’s technology includes advanced and highly accurate Battery Management Systems, battery packs with high-performance cooling and both active and passive safety systems. Founded in 2010, Stafl Systems is led by Erik Stafl, 2008 alumni of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the former CEO of Arcimoto. Stafl’s battery systems have been used in record-breaking vehicles, aircraft and personal watercraft.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, each as amended. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “forecast,” “intend,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “seek” or other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the benefits of the collaboration between Amprius and Stafl Systems to Amprius’ business. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of Amprius’ management and are not predictions of actual performance. Actual results could differ materially from these forward-looking statements as a result of certain risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including demands for SiCore batteries; the ability of Amprius to deliver high performance products to customers at acceptable prices and meet their demands via the toll manufacturing arrangements; third-party producers of Amprius batteries continuing to produce such batteries in the expected quantities and caliber and at the expected prices; delays in permitting, construction and operation of production facilities; Amprius’ liquidity position; risks related to the rollout of Amprius’ business and the timing of expected business milestones; Amprius’ ability to commercially produce high performing batteries; the effects of competition on Amprius’ business; supply shortages in the materials necessary for the production of Amprius batteries; and changes in domestic and foreign business, market, financial, political and legal conditions. For more information on these risks and uncertainties that may impact the operations and projections discussed herein can be found in the documents we filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), all of which are available on the SEC’s website atwww.sec.gov. There may be additional risks that Amprius does not presently know or that Amprius currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect Amprius’ expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Amprius’ assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, Amprius specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

Amprius and Stafl Systems forge strategic partnership in high-performance battery market. (Graphic: Business Wire)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler’s arrest and prompt release from a Louisville jail Friday that let him play in a high-profile tournament after being booked on charges including felony assault has sparked questions on social media over whether he was given preferential treatment because of his fame.

They recall what they consider malfeasance by the Louisville police department, which a national report last year found has used excessive force and invalid search warrants, and wonder why Scheffler was released so quickly.

Police are continuing their investigation, but here's a look at the incident and policing in Louisville:

Officers were redirecting traffic after a fatal accident near the Valhalla Golf Club when Scheffler allegedly disobeyed an officer's command. His car accelerated forward and dragged the officer to the ground, according to a police report, and the officer suffered injuries to his wrist and was taken to the hospital.

The 27-year-old Scheffler, who lives in Texas, was arrested outside the club just after 6 a.m., taken to jail, dressed in an orange jumpsuit and had his mug shot taken. The Louisville Metro Police Department said he was booked on four charges, including second-degree assault of a police officer.

But by 10:08 a.m., he was on the other side of the city and teeing off at the PGA Championship. Scheffler had been released on his own recognizance, without posting bond, after agreeing that he would make all his court dates in Louisville.

Scheffler and his attorney have said he didn't intentionally do anything wrong, and he misunderstood police commands and simply was trying to get to the course. His lawyer previously represented the boyfriend of Breonna Taylor, who was fatally shot by police in 2020, in a civil suit against the city a few years ago.

Scheffler was greeted with cheers by fans when he arrived at the golf course, but some in Louisville with memories of a turbulent past took a dim view of the incident.

“A man drags a cop with his vehicle and hospitalizes him. He’s arrested ... charged with a felony ... and then immediately released so he can make his tee time? Did I get that right?” said Ricky L. Jones, a University of Louisville professor of pan-African studies, on the social platform X.

Bill Miller, a local golf fan who was at the course Friday, said it cast Louisville and the police in a negative light.

“It’s just another bad look for the city,” Miller said. “I’d want to understand what the cop was trying to do. But it’s sad.”

A spokesperson for Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Saturday there is no police body camera video of the initial encounter between Scheffler and the officer. The officer was directing traffic at the time, and the department’s officers typically don’t record video with their body cameras while directing traffic, Kevin Trager, the mayor’s press secretary, wrote in a text message to an Associated Press reporter.

Elsewhere, the incident drew reaction from an Atlanta-area pastor who hosted a funeral for Roger Fortson, a young Black senior airman who was shot by a Florida sheriff’s deputy at his home this month.

“Something is wrong in America,” said Jamal Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. “You have respect for a golfer, but you don’t have respect for (Fortson) and for a person who has given their life to this nation. You cannot remain silent in the face of injustice.”

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear took heat on X for a post encouraging people to welcome golf tournament fans “with the kindness and hospitality we’re known for.” One commenter replied with Scheffler's mug shot and observed that Beshear's post had not aged well.

The department has attracted negative national attention in recent years after the fatal shooting of Taylor in 2020 and a federal investigation into its policing practices. It has also been the subject of protests over its policing.

A Department of Justice report released last year said Louisville officers use excessive force and conduct searches based on invalid warrants. It also said Black motorists in the city were more likely to be searched during traffic stops, and officers used neck restraints, police dogs and stun guns against people who posed no imminent threat.

Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was shot by officers who came to her apartment with a warrant that federal officials later said was falsified.

The police department was lauded, however, for its response to a mass shooting at a bank in 2023, when the shooter armed with an AR-15 was quickly killed before he could hurt more people. One officer who had just joined the force was struck in the head by a bullet, sustaining a brain injury.

Last year the department hired as its new police chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel, the first Black woman to hold the position. The city continues to negotiate a consent decree with federal officials that will stipulate what policing reforms should take place.

Associated Press Writers Aaron Morrison in New York and Eddie Pells in Louisville contributed to this report.

In this still image made from video provided by ESPN, Masters champion Scottie Scheffler is put into a police car after being handcuffed near Valhalla Golf Club, site of the PGA Championship golf tournament, early Friday, May 17, 2024. (ESPN via AP)

In this mug shot provided by the Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections Friday, May 17, 2024, Scott Scheffler is shown. Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was detained by police Friday morning on his way to the PGA Championship, with stunning images showing him handcuffed as he was led to a police car. (Louisville Metropolitan Department of Corrections via AP)

Scottie Scheffler walks to the tee on the 11th hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Valhalla Golf Club, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Scottie Scheffler celebrates after a birdie on the 12th hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Valhalla Golf Club, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)