Qnetic Corporation

The world is transitioning to renewable energy. But there’s one piece missing to complete this transformation — energy storage.

Wind and solar energy are abundant but intermittent, creating a need for reliable storage systems that can store energy when production is high and release it when it’s low.

That’s why Qnetic is creating a flywheel energy-storage system that can address this challenge more efficiently than current technologies.

Today, the dominant technology for grid-scale battery is lithium-ion. This technology was the best available — until Qnetic. Here’s why:

Unlimited lifespan — Unlike lithium-ion batteries, which degrade over time, Qnetic’s system offers zero capacity fade over decades of use. That means more revenue for customers.

Cost-effective — While the installation cost and efficiency are roughly the same, Qnetic’s technology is projected to be fifty-percent cheaper than lithium-ion batteries over the long-term.

Temperature-resilient — Unlike lithium-ion, Qnetic’s system doesn’t suffer or underperform in extreme hot or cold temperatures.

Made locally — Qnetic’s system is made in the U.S. for American customers and in Europe for European customers. Lithium-ion batteries are almost entirely supplied from China.

A flywheel system works by accelerating a rotor (flywheel) to a high speed and maintaining the energy in the system as rotational energy. When energy is extracted, the flywheel’s rotational speed is reduced. Adding energy correspondingly results in an increase in the speed of the flywheel.

Qnetic’s system charges and discharges electricity like any other battery. But it works differently.

Instead of storing energy chemically, this system uses a motor to spin a rotor, converting electricity into kinetic energy. The faster the rotor spins, the more energy it stores, and at top speed, Qnetic is fully charged.

Thanks to a vacuum and magnetic bearings, the rotor spins friction-free, keeping Qnetic charged and ready to use. When power is needed, the motor switches to generator mode, slowing the rotor down and converting its kinetic energy back into electricity.

Traditional flywheels are typically designed for short-duration, high-frequency energy applications, focusing on power quality rather than long-term storage.

Qnetic is specifically engineered for long-duration energy storage. This makes it ideal for bridging the gap in renewable-energy supply.

Qnetic has secured more than $100 million in signed Letters of Intent (LOIs), including a deal with AREVON, Tesla’s biggest customer. The current LOIs provide enough business to cover the first two years of production for its U.S. assembly line.

The company has built a fully-functional twenty-five-percent scale prototype codenamed “Vega.” This demonstrates the high performance and durability of its system. Additionally, the company has three core invention patents, protecting the technologies around its rotor, bearing system, and permanent magnet bearing.

Qnetic has raised two million dollars from investors, including SOSV, a venture-capital firm with a focus on companies developing climate-related technologies.

Team Background

Michael Pratt - Co-Founder & CEO

Michael is an award-winning product-design specialist.

Prior to starting Qnetic, he spent sixteen years with the Industrial Design Consultancy, a China-based design-services company, serving as a design consultant and technical director.

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Brunel University of London.

Loic Bastard - Co-Founder & CTO

Loic is an expert in designing and analyzing complex rotating systems, having studied the field for nearly twenty years.

He began his career with Altran France, an IT-services company, serving as a stress engineer. From there, he spent a decade with Siemens, working as a project engineer, wind-energy application group coordinator, and product manager.

Most recently, Loic was Head of Department at Envision Energy, a renewable-energy equipment manufacturing company. In 2016, he was part of China’s Thousand Talents Plan, a program by the country’s government to recruit experts in science and technology from abroad.

He earned a degree in Computational Science and a Master’s degree in Engineering.

Malcolm Mathews - Chief Operating Officer

Malcolm has more than thirty years of experience leading organizations.

Previously, he was Vice President and General Manager of the East Asia division of Johnson Controls, an industrial-machinery manufacturing company. Before that, he was Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Asia division of Stanley Black & Decker.

Early on, Malcolm spent sixteen years with United Technologies, an aviation and aerospace component manufacturing business, working as Director of Finance and Vice President of Strategy & Business Development.

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Management from Abilene Christian University, a Master’s degree in Finance from Indiana University, and an MBA from Notre Dame.

Co-Investors

SOSV

$250M venture capital fund focused on accelerating over 150 startups every year. Portfolio companies include Leap Motion and Harmonix.