Ion Storage Systems Hires Energy Industry Leader

CEO chosen to take groundbreaking battery technology to market

WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Ion Storage Systems (ISS), inventor of the game changing solid state battery technology, has named Ricky Hanna as CEO. Hanna will transition the breakthrough technology from the University of Maryland’s Energy Innovation Institute (MEI²) to commercial markets. His hire comes on the heels of an $8 million seed investment round led by San Francisco-based venture capital firm Alsop Louie Partners. ISS’ Advanced energy-dense solid state battery design is nonflammable, cost efficient, and will transform the $35 billion industry.

“As the former Executive Director of Apple’s Battery Operations, I know how to recognize a significant advance in the energy storage field,” Hanna says. “It is ISS’ cutting-edge technology that made me take notice and convinced me to be a part of this impressive start up. Kudos to Eric Wachsman and the University team for giving me such a great starting point.”

“We found the right man, at the right time to lead our enterprise to the next level,” says Wachsman, ISS founder and Director of MEI². “Ricky’s knowledge and expertise will enable us to efficiently ramp up and focus on bringing our technology to market. His hire is an important step in our transition from academic innovation to market-based reality.”

Hanna will apply his extensive background in battery, EV, and hybrid powertrain technology to lead ISS in all facets of its rollout. Most recently, he served as SVP of Operations at EOS Energy Storage. From 2014-17 he was Executive Director of Battery Operations for Apple. From 2008-14 he was CEO of California-based EV manufacturer Electric Vehicles International. Earlier, Hanna spent over 10 years at Texas-based Valence Technologies (now a Lithium Werks company), an advanced storage company where he rose to VP of Worldwide Operations and oversaw supply chain and manufacturing operations spanning from China, Mexico and Northern Ireland to the United States.

About Ion Storage Systems

ISS breakthroughs in solid state battery technology have led to a battery that meets the mission-critical needs for the defense and aerospace industries, and that has high energy density with improved safety for consumer electronics, electric vehicles and grid energy storage.

ISS is a spin-off company from the University of Maryland’s MEI² incubator, which to date has received—$12M in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy ARPA-E and EERE, NASA, and Lockheed Martin. ISS recently won the LG Chem Battery Challenge. ISS is located at 5000 College Avenue, Suite 3122 College Park, MD 20740. Go here for more information.

Contacts

Dwight Langhum

Langhum Mitchell: 202.546.9170