Slovak Startup InoBat Making New Battery for Military Drones

Hey, so get this: a startup from Slovakia called InoBat is planning to roll out a new battery specifically made for military drones and stuff like unmanned aerial systems. Pretty cool, right? They said this on Monday, and it seems like they're jumping in because Europe is spending way more on defense these days.

Apparently, they're gonna start making this new battery, called the E10 cell, in September. The CEO, Marian Bocek, told Reuters they're already talking to some drone makers in Europe. He said they're working with companies that really need a super good European battery solution.

Before this, InoBat was mostly making batteries for electric cars and those cool electric vehicles that can take off and land vertically. But now, with Europe trying to make more tanks, radars, and weapons because of what President Donald Trump said about them handling their own defense, some companies are actually changing up their car factories to make military gear instead.

Like, check it out: Rheinmetall, which is the biggest ammunition maker in Europe, said they're gonna use two plants that used to make car parts to make defense stuff. And a French company that makes munitions, Europlasma, is taking over a place that used to be owned by the French car company Renault.

InoBat is saying this new E10 battery is pretty awesome. They claim it charges up in less than 15 minutes. Plus, it can carry 40% more weight and let the drone fly 60% longer compared to the batteries out there now. The CEO, Bocek, said it was just kind of a natural next step for InoBat because people are asking for high-quality batteries made in Europe for both military and industrial drones.

These guys have actually raised a ton of money, over 400 million euros, which is like 447 million bucks. That includes 100 million euros they got back in December, which is wild! Also, a Chinese battery company called Gotion owns 10% of InoBat. They even have a project together where they'll start making batteries for Volkswagen's electric cars in 2027.

Bocek made it clear to Reuters that this whole drone battery thing is totally separate from their deal with Gotion, and it's completely good to go with what NATO needs for their supply chain. Pretty interesting how companies are switching things up, huh?

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