When a battery company increases capacity and achieves certification to a recognized safety standard, customer conversations can move from “show me it works” toward “show me how we move forward.” HPQ Silicon announced that its HPQ ENDURA+ Gen4 21700 lithium ion cell platform achieved UL 1642 safety certification on July 20, 2026. The certified Gen4 platform is rated at 6,500 mAh, representing an 8.3% capacity increase over HPQ’s previously certified 6,000 mAh Gen3 platform, while meeting one of the industry’s most widely recognized safety standards for commercial lithium ion cells. HPQ now has UL 1642 certification for both Gen3 and Gen4, supporting customer qualification, battery pack integration, commercial evaluations, and industrial discussions. This is not simply another technical milestone. It is a commercial checkbox completed as HPQ works toward first orders.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Commercial Checkbox: Gen4 cells have now achieved UL 1642 certification, answering a key question prospective customers raise as evaluations advance.
Performance Progression: The certified Gen4 platform is rated at 6,500 mAh, representing an 8.3% capacity increase over the certified 6,000 mAh Gen3 platform.
Two Certified Platforms: Both Gen3 and Gen4 21700 platforms now carry UL 1642 certification, giving prospective customers two certified generations to evaluate.
Customer Qualification: Certification supports testing, battery pack integration, qualification activities, and commercial evaluation. Additional pack or application specific approvals may still be required.
Active Engagement: Multiple potential customers are testing Gen4 cells. Certification removes an important cell level requirement from the path toward potential orders.
STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS
The battery industry is filled with promising technologies that produced strong laboratory results but struggled to reach commercial applications. Performance matters, but customers also need recognized safety documentation before integrating cells into real products. UL 1642 certification gives customers, integrators, and OEMs independent confirmation that HPQ’s Gen4 platform has met an important commercial lithium ion safety standard.
HPQ achieved that certification while increasing rated capacity by 8.3% over Gen3. Gen3 established the certified platform at 6,000 mAh. Gen4 has now advanced it to 6,500 mAh while meeting the same recognized safety standard. This does not guarantee orders, but it demonstrates that HPQ and Novacium can advance successive generations through the certification steps required for commercial evaluation.
Novacium’s silicon based anode technology is designed to remain compatible with conventional lithium ion cell manufacturing processes. That compatibility could support adoption without requiring manufacturers to completely redesign existing production infrastructure. Customer testing, pricing, supply capability, and final application requirements will still determine adoption, but HPQ is steadily completing the steps required to support commercial discussions.
The timing matters. HPQ secured UN 38.3 transport certification in December 2025 and UL 1642 certification for Gen3 cells in January 2026. Six months later, Gen4 has achieved UL 1642 certification. HPQ and Novacium are also supporting customer evaluations, expanding business development, and targeting applications across drones, defence, mobility, energy storage, telecommunications, robotics, and industrial markets.
The message is straightforward. HPQ is advancing certification, customer testing, battery integration, and business development in parallel. Potential customers evaluating Gen4 no longer need to wait for HPQ to complete this cell certification step before deciding whether to advance.
CEO Bernard Tourillon:
“They tested the battery, they liked the batteries, now they ask, ‘Do you have certification?’ We do… It’s just a checkbox that has to be done, and we just wanted to say this checkbox has been done.”
INVESTOR TAKEAWAY
UL 1642 certification is not an order, but it is a commercial gateway. It supports the progression from battery testing toward customer qualification, integration, and potential procurement. HPQ now has certified Gen3 and Gen4 platforms, with Gen4 delivering an 8.3% capacity increase over its predecessor. Multiple potential customers are testing the cells, certification is complete, and HPQ is building the commercial infrastructure required to pursue first orders.
There is still work ahead. Customers must complete their evaluations, final applications may require additional approvals, and commercial agreements must still be negotiated. But HPQ has completed another requirement prospective buyers expect to see before advancing. The Company is no longer focused solely on demonstrating improved battery performance. It is showing that successive generations can move through independent certification while customer evaluations and commercialization activities continue.
That is what makes Gen4 certification important. It moves HPQ closer to the point where technical progress, customer validation, and commercial execution meet.
battery Battery Technology HPQ Silicon Inc.
Last modified: July 21, 2026
