The U.S. Army Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has awarded $7.6 million to Chariot Defense, a San Bruno-based defense tech startup, to develop its cutting-edge ‘Amphora’ battlefield power management system as part of its Portable Resilient Integrated Storage Module (PRISM) effort.
Specifically designed to address what the company termed the Army’s “growing battlefield energy crisis,” Amphora uses a combination of cutting-edge hardware and intelligent integrated software to help the American warfighter maximize energy-hungry systems ‘at the tactical edge,’ including drones, electronic warfare platforms, and ‘edge’ AI.
To understand the technology behind Amphora and the real-life 21st-century battlefield scenarios the system may encounter, The Debrief reached out to Chariot Defense CEO Adam Warmoth, who explained how the technology works and how it could play an increasingly critical role as front-line power demands driven by increasingly advanced military technologies continue to rise.
What is Chariot Defense’s Amphora?
When asked whether Amphora is a physical battery pack with built-in intelligent energy management, or an add-on energy management solution connected to existing power sources, Warmoth said Amphora is a “physical system” that includes “tightly integrated” battery storage and power conversion hardware.
However, unlike conventional energy storage and management options, their system improves efficiency and performance using embedded software that Warmoth said, “manages the components and telemetry of the system.”
For example, Amphora can connect to and manage power from existing equipment, including “all” their vehicles, generators, solar panels, and shore power options. Then, the system’s built-in intelligence, combined with its unique configuration, provides power for the overall mission.
“The software decides how energy comes into the system, how it is stored, and how much power reaches each piece of equipment,” Warmoth told The Debrief. “Troops keep their gear running while a vehicle engine or generator is off, then recharge when power is available.”
The Chariot Defense CEO added that when used correctly, a fully integrated Amphora power management system provides troops ‘at the tactical edge’ an equally high-tech way to “control the energy they already have and wield it to go further, endure longer missions, carry less redundant systems or burdensome generators.”
How Does it Work?
When asked to describe a realistic scenario where Amphora could significantly improve military capabilities beyond current portable energy solutions, Warmoth gave the example of a reconnaissance team operating from tactical vehicles far from reliable resupply.
“They need radios, sensors, computing equipment, and batteries for their drones,” the Chariot CEO explained.
The tools and systems that need energy typically change throughout a mission, but the need for energy remains constant, even when vehicles are parked and turned off. Warmoth said that Amphora’s built-in intelligence lets it capture usable energy from a vehicle when its engine is running and use stored energy to keep equipment operating “during silent watch.”
“When they need to recharge, they can use the vehicle, a compatible generator, or solar, depending on what is available and what the mission allows,” he explained, adding that carrying enough spare batteries for every possible situation a mission may encounter “quickly becomes a weight problem.”
Because running an engine for power generation uses fuel and creates a thermal heat signature that can prove deadly in conflict, the company leader said the system’s high-tech design gives the team more flexibility in deciding when it is safe and practical to use energy generation options and when it is better to rely on stored energy.
“The advantage (of Amphora) is being able to keep essential systems available while choosing when to run an engine,” Warmoth explained, adding that how long their system can extend that window “depends on the equipment they’re powering and the storage they bring.”
What Happens Now?
When asked about the goals of their multi-million-dollar DIU award, the Chariot Defense CEO said the 12-month effort will include validating the system’s performance at larger scales.
“We want to demonstrate that units can keep their essential equipment running while reducing generator runtime, cutting fuel demand, and the noise and thermal signature (e.g., heat) associated with running engines constantly across the formation,” Warmoth told The Debrief.
Tests will include soldiers measuring Amphora’s power performance and fuel use in real-life scenarios. Warmoth said that invaluable feedback will help Chariot’s engineering team improve and adapt the system throughout the testing phase. This phase will also include environmental and durability tests to evaluate Amphora’s ability to “support broad fielding across a division or at a corps-level scale.”
“The practical question we’re trying to answer is: can a distributed unit sustain the equipment its mission requires without dragging an ever-growing power and fuel burden (like a generator) behind it?” Warmoth told The Debrief, before adding, “That’s what this effort is intended to address.”
Although not a part of this DIU award, the company leader said that follow-on efforts would likely include “adding predictive capabilities and more cross-formation microgrid management.”
Without power, advanced weapons and sensors are nothing more than expensive paperweights
When asked to explain the Amphora’s technological benefits beyond simply equipping missions with powerful energy generation systems, Warmoth pointed to the logistical issues their high-tech approach helps solve.
“We keep pushing drones, electronic warfare, and computing down to smaller, more distributed formations,” he told The Debrief. “Soldiers cannot carry an unlimited supply of batteries to make all of that work.”
“Without power, advanced weapons and sensors are nothing more than expensive paperweights,” he added.
By offering a system that combines intelligence and versatility, Chariot Defense says Amphora can increase the capabilities of the modern warfighter “at the tactical edge.” The DIU is betting they are right.
Christopher Plain has spent the last six years as Associate News Editor and Head Science Reporter at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his novels at plainfiction.com, or email him at christopher@thedebrief.org.