BOSTON and DEN BOSCH, The Netherlands, July 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Factorial Energy Inc. (“Factorial”) (Nasdaq: FAC), a global leader in solid-state battery technology, today announced a strategic partnership with Tulip Tech Group B.V. (“Tulip”), a Netherlands-based developer of advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) high-density battery systems, to accelerate commercial deployment of solid state and lithium metal batteries for next-generation drones. This agreement marks a significant step in Factorial’s expansion into aerospace applications and reflects rapidly advancing commercial momentum across high-spec markets.
Initial customer flight testing delivered more than 30% increase in flight range - before any engineering optimization. Building on these results, the companies have established a commercialization framework that includes joint customer engagement and a roadmap toward volume production.
Tulip Tech, headquartered in the Netherlands, is a leading European integrator and manufacturer of high-density battery packs for unmanned aerial vehicles. The company specializes in fully custom battery systems engineered to mission requirements, combining high energy density, lightweight design, and rigorous safety standards built to European production quality. Trusted by over 250 customers across defense, security, and commercial sectors including NASA, and delivering over 100,000 battery packs in a single month, Tulip brings proven UAV integration expertise and production scale to its partnership with Factorial, making it the ideal partner to bring a disruptive cell technology into real-world drone applications.
“Tulip has been an excellent partner to scale together with speed and reach,” said Siyu Huang, CEO of Factorial. “Last year our automotive cell platform powered a historic 1,200+ kilometer drive on a single charge. This year it's the sky. Our first long distance flight delivered more than 30% longer range. Where lithium-ion runs out of road, lithium metal is just taking off.”
Demand for higher endurance UAVs is surging across commercial, industrial, and defense sectors as missions push further, get riskier, and demand more data. Battery performance has become the defining limiter on what unmanned systems can do, and the clearest lever for competitive advantage. The global UAV market is projected to exceed $160 billion by 2034. As airframes, autonomy, and sensing payloads advance, energy storage has become the bottleneck, and the most direct path to deeper mission radius, higher payload, regulatory approvals, and fleet economics.
“Battery performance is the ceiling on almost every drone mission, and Tulip's job is to raise that ceiling by matching each mission to the best cell technology available. In this program, Factorial's solid-state and lithium-metal platform delivered more than a 30% range gain in initial testing - a standout result that has earned its place in our portfolio. We're excited to move from testing into commercialization, and to keep pushing UAV performance further alongside all of our cell partners,” said Bernd Rietberg, CEO of Tulip Tech.
Factorial's solid-state and lithium-metal platforms deliver higher energy density for longer mission profiles, paired with lighter, more powerful cells engineered for vehicles on the road, in the air, and in space.
From early on, Factorial envisioned that the first adopters would be in the high-spec sector, where performance comes before price and adoption moves faster. More than a decade of development later, these capabilities are at the inflection point to transform the air mobility.
About Factorial Energy
Factorial Energy (Nasdaq: FAC) is a leading American solid-state battery innovator backed by IQT - the not-for-profit strategic investor for the U.S. national security community and America’s allies – and Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, Hyundai, and Kia. Through its proprietary FEST® and Solstice™ platforms, engineered for scalable manufacturing, Factorial delivers industry-leading performance across defense, space, and energy storage applications. Mercedes-Benz’ real-world road testing in a lightly modified test vehicle achieved over 1,200+ km of range on a single charge, while Stellantis-lab testing verified 77 Ah cells demonstrating high energy density, fast-charging, and robust use for energy and power performance across temperature extremes, with the technology successfully integrated into a Dodge Charger Daytona demonstration vehicle. For more information, visit www.factorialenergy.com.
About Tulip Tech
Tulip Tech, based in Den Bosch in the Netherlands, specializes in top-tier battery packs, with a strong focus on quality, safety and lightweight design. Founded in 2020, Tulip aims to accelerate the impact of drones and electrification by creating high-performing battery systems. The company develops standard & customized battery packs and cells, combining high energy density, reliable components, rigorous testing and European production standards to help drones go further, last longer and perform better.
More information: www.tulip.tech
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this communication may be considered “forward-looking statements.” Forward-looking statements herein generally relate to future events or the future financial or operating performance of Factorial. For example, Factorial’s expectations regarding future financial performance, manufacturing capabilities and operations, Factorial’s business plans, and other projections concerning key performance metrics or milestones are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “will,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “plan,” or “potentially” or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. While Factorial may elect to update such forward-looking statements in the future, it disclaims any obligation to do so.
Factorial IR Contact: IR@factorialenergy.com
Factorial Media Contact: Factorial@antennagroup.com
Tulip Tech Media Contact: raoul@tulip.tech
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f7728fba-b0d6-44d2-9a53-8d189e95dd77
