Energy Storage: Miami startup seeks to revolutionize the battery industry
Ouros Energy seeks to help with the transition toward a cleaner future of mobility
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Learn how a Miami-based startup is producing higher energy density batteries in our latest interview. Listen or watch here.
Transportation is a key topic here at Opportunity Miami, where we’re committed to shaping our region toward a more sustainable future. Buses, cars, planes, and trains account for more than half of greenhouse gas emissions in Miami-Dade County, compared to nearly 30% nationally.
So how we get around will play a major role in shaping a cleaner and more sustainable future. Going fully electric can only tackle a part of the problem. Whether driving an electric vehicle or using a drone to deliver a product, the battery that powers it needs to outpower and outrange plain old gasoline.
Enter Miami-based startup Ouros Energy.
“The main issue is that [the batteries] just don’t store enough energy,” explains Ouros founder Ethan Loosbrock. “Whether you're trying to pull a semi-trailer or power a 747 jet, lithium-ion batteries today just don't compare to gasoline.”
Ouros is hoping to “close that gap and enable some of these transportation technologies to transition to batteries,” he added. You can listen to or watch our latest interview.
Ouros Energy is developing long-life lithium-ion batteries for everything from consumer electronics to electric scooters and cars. Founded in 2022, the first battery cells will store two to three times more energy per kilogram than today’s lithium-ion batteries. “So our phone lasts twice or three times as long, and your car will go two or three times as far,” Loosbrock explained.
FROM BOSTON TO MIAMI
Originally from Minnesota, Loosbrock, a chemical engineer, worked at several battery startups and did some research at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) before starting Ouros and settling in Miami.
“We were making an early bet on Miami as a tech ecosystem,” he said. “It’s an extremely business-friendly community. People really want innovation and technology businesses to come here and are willing to support them in various ways.”
Ouros opened a space in 2022 in Allapattah and now has an office in Wynwood.
BATTERIES FOR AEROSPACE TECH
Ouros is currently working with a contract manufacturer on their first commercial batteries. Loosbrock expects to start selling those by the end of the year. Their initial batteries are targeted for drones and EVTOLs and their first aerospace cell is ticketed for the middle of 2025.
Ouros is first targeting aerospace technology, such as EVTOLs (electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles) and drones. The main reason? “Weight is the most important metric for them, so any time they can shave off weight they’re happy to do so and they’ll pay a premium to do so,” Loosbrock explained.
Ouros raised $3 million in its latest seed funding round, which Loosbrock said they plan to use to scale up their materials manufacturing and begin making and selling batteries.
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Until next week,
Opportunity Miami
