Protonex, the Southborough-based subsidiary of Ballard Power Systems, has received its largest order to date to supply U.S. Special Operations Command with a power system to recharge important electronic devices.
The company will deliver Squad Power Manager (SPM-622) Special Operations Kits that weigh less than a pound. The devices allow soldiers to power various electronics, including portable radios, GPS systems, computers and other electronic equipment from an available battery, and to recharge that battery from solar, vehicle, AC or scavenged energy sources, according to Protonex.
The $5.8 million purchase order is the largest order in the company’s history and represents follow-on business from the $2.8 million SPM order from the same customer, received in December 2015. All products under this new order are expected to be shipped in 2016.
The U.S. military is one of the largest consumers of energy in the world, according to Protonex, and with the proliferation of electronic devices in the digital battlefield, powering those devices is important.
