"Lithium batteries are the new oil," Elon Musk once said. If that's true, then Ouros, inc. may be akin to the first oil prospectors in West Texas - prepared to shift energy storage in ways that could reshape the market.

Today, the global battery market is facing two significant challenges. First, China controls 85% of the world’s battery cell production. These cells power everything from unmanned aerial systems in warfare to Teslas on driveways across America. This dominance over such a critical technology is deeply concerning to many in the West. Second, the raw materials required to produce traditional lithium-ion batteries, like cobalt and nickel, are sourced from regions with notorious human rights abuses. More than 70% of the world’s cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where child labor and unsafe working conditions are widespread. These dual concerns - supply chain security and ethical sourcing - loom large over the American battery industry.

Enter Ouros, a small, lean team based not in the traditional energy hubs of Houston or Calgary but in Miami, Florida. Run by Ethan Loosbrock, a former MIT researcher specializing in high-voltage cathode materials. Loosbrock’s team is developing lithium-ion batteries that will ultimately boast ten times the energy density at just 1/100th of the cost of traditional models.

The secret lies in the cathode chemistry. In a battery, the cathode determines much of the battery's cost, weight, and performance. This also eliminates the need for expensive, ethically problematic materials like nickel and cobalt. This innovation is particularly crucial for the aerospace industry, where energy density (the amount of energy a battery can store relative to its weight) is a key factor. This will not achieve the full 10x however, so further innovations will be needed to reach that milestone, but Ouros and Loosbrock are confident.

Ouros's first target is the eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft) and the overall aerospace market. This sector is expanding rapidly, with more than 1,000 conceptual designs for eVTOLs already published. Companies like Archer Aviation are betting big on urban air mobility, with plans for a Los Angeles taxi network that will connect Orange County to Burbank in under 20 minutes. Major cities are increasingly passing legislation to enable eVTOL adoption, and Ouros is well-positioned to meet the rising demand for advanced battery cells.

Loosbrock’s background begins with a chemical engineering degree from the University of Minnesota; he started working on lithium metal anodes at Solid Energy Systems (now called SES AI), before researching novel lithium ion cathodes at MIT. While working as an Electrolyte Engineer at PolyJoule, he cut the company’s polymer battery technology costs by 50% while increasing its energy density by the same margin. His background gives him the rare combination of technical knowledge and operational expertise.

But the story of Ouros is about more than just technological advancement; it's also about timing. The global energy landscape is shifting. As renewable energy sources like solar and wind become more prevalent, the need for efficient energy storage is more urgent than ever. In California, for example, the aging grid infrastructure is struggling to keep up with renewable energy generation. The California Independent System Operator has even resorted to selling surplus energy to neighboring states like Arizona and Nevada to ease the burden on the grid. Battery storage could help stabilize the grid, reducing peak demand by up to 20%, but current storage capacity is woefully inadequate.

In this context, Ouros’s potential impact extends far beyond aviation. With battery technology that is both more affordable and more powerful, the company could also play a crucial role in automotive, grid storage, and consumer electronics markets.

Ouros’s commitment to vertical integration - a rarity in the battery industry - gives it an edge. Much like SpaceX and Tesla, Ouros plans to control every aspect of production, from sourcing raw materials to manufacturing the final product. This approach not only drives down costs but also ensures quality and supply chain security.

Looking to the past helps us appreciate the scope of what Loosbrock and his team's efforts. In 1745, Alessandro Volta, born in the Italian town of Como, embarked on his scientific journey that would lead to the invention of the voltaic pile, the first battery capable of producing a steady electrical current. Volta’s ideas laid the groundwork for the modern battery industry, which today is worth more than $100 billion and growing at rates north of 20%. By comparison, other energy storage methods, like pumped hydro and thermal storage, are growing at half that pace.

As the world moves toward a future where lithium batteries are, indeed, the new oil, Ouros is positioning itself to be the company that supports that future.

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