Design and Assembly of 46mm Li-ion cells with Metallized Plastic Current Collectors (MPCC)

NASA's National Spaceflight Supply Center (NASA/NSSC) has issued a Special Notice for the Design and Assembly of 46mm Li-ion cells with Metallized Plastic Current Collectors (MPCC). The notice is a sole source contract announcement targeting battery manufacturing for space technology research. Specifically, NASA intends to award the contract to EAS BATTERIES GMBH under FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i), having determined they are the unique provider of this specialized technology. The procurement will be managed by NASA/NSSC, with performance located at NASA Johnson Space Center, and will utilize commercial item acquisition procedures under FAR Parts 12 and 13. The opportunity is categorized under NAICS code 335910 for Battery Manufacturing and PSC code AG11 for Energy R&D Services.

The primary objective of this Special Notice is to develop and evaluate 4690 Li-ion cells to assess the effectiveness of metallized polymer current collectors (MPCC) in preventing thermal runaway. NASA requires the contractor to design and produce three types of 28Ah cells: baseline metal foil current collector cells, cells with aluminum MPCC from Soteria, and cells with aluminum and copper MPCCs from Soteria. The total contract calls for 50 cells, including 10 control cells and 40 cells with different MPCC configurations, to be delivered within 3 months. Interested organizations must submit their capabilities and qualifications in writing by 4:00 p.m. Central Standard Time on June 12, 2025. The government retains discretion on whether to conduct a competitive procurement, and NASA Clause 1852.215-84 (Ombudsman) is applicable to this acquisition. Contractors will be required to perform nail penetration testing on a subset of cells and provide comprehensive data on cell formation and open circuit voltage.