Safiery Named Official 48V Battery Supplier for 38th America's Cup

America's Cup agreement brings marine batteries to IBEX

Australian power-electronics company Safiery has been named the exclusive lithium-battery supplier to the 38th America's Cup, scheduled to be held in Naples, Italy. The company announced the agreement at IBEX 2026 on 6 October and used the Tampa exhibition to present its 48V 3C semi-solid-state lithium iron phosphate battery to United States builders and specialist marine integrators.

The supplier describes the agreement as an event-supporter arrangement with ACE Italy S.r.l., the Cup organiser. That is not equivalent to a blanket specification for every competing racing yacht: Safiery specifically highlights support craft, electric tenders and chase boats, where compact storage, rapid handling and operational flexibility matter over repeated short duty cycles.

A modular 2.8kWh battery designed for workboats

Safiery gives each battery pack a nominal storage figure of 2,788Wh, with a weight around 20kg and a continuous-current capability of 150A. The company quotes 6,000 cycles at 80% depth of discharge, a supplier-reported durability figure that must be interpreted with its test conditions, applicable warranty and operating temperature limits rather than as a universal guarantee.

The packs are intended to be stackable either upright or flat, with interlocking arrangements and side-mounted conductive links intended to simplify electrical integration. Safiery says two packs are suitable for a 10kW drive and four for a 30kW configuration, while up to 20 can be paralleled under the specified architecture. Those examples do not provide an automatic range prediction for any given hull, since speed, hydrodynamic resistance, weather and installation losses also govern performance.

Charging and control from the support fleet

The manufacturer's release describes three charging options: DC cross-charging from a mother vessel's 12V or 24V electrical system at nominated power levels, 48V shore charging, and charging through its BMG engine-mounted generator platform. That flexibility could be attractive to event operators moving tenders between a race village, yacht marina and support berth, although the design and permission to cross-charge should be assessed for each host electrical system.

Every pack is described as incorporating CAN-controlled charge and discharge switching, with a common remote shutdown arrangement. Safiery also specifies CAN battery management, NMEA 2000 output, Bluetooth monitoring and certifications including IEC 62619 and UN38.3. Engineers still need to review battery placement, ventilation, protection, fault isolation, marine approvals and the complete charging installation before a vessel is put into service.

Relevance to superyacht tenders and refit projects

Superyacht crews increasingly operate auxiliary craft with very different missions, from short guest transfers to high-speed chase duties and all-day marina support. A modular low-voltage propulsion battery may suit some of these workloads where practical access, dedicated charging and predictable daily distances are available. The official press release says the same packs are already being offered to boatbuilders and superyacht owners, without identifying a specific named installation.

Founded in Queensland in 2018, Safiery develops lithium storage, DC conversion, digital-switching and power-monitoring systems for marine and mobile applications. Its latest America's Cup role provides a visible industry test case for battery handling, but the long-term engineering measure will be field reliability under repeated use. The photograph used here is an original Safiery battery product image, not a depiction of a particular Cup chase boat.