Michigan-based battery-technology developer Sakti3 (www.sakti3.com) has received financial backing worth $15 million from Dyson (www.dyson.co.uk)— the company famous for its bagless vacuum cleaners and bladeless fans.

The deal is Dyson’s first investment in another business; the Wiltshire-based company will use Sakti3’s batteries in its existing products, such as cordless and robotic vacuum cleaners, as well as new product areas.

Company founder Sir James Dyson said: “It’s the most promising battery technology we’ve come across. Sakti3’s solid-state batteries have double the energy density of today’s lithium-ion batteries. If you add that sort of battery to our digital motors, you create a power pack that you couldn’t have imagined a year or two ago.”

Sakti3 — founded in 2008 by former University of Michigan engineering professor Ann Marie Sastry — said that its batteries are safer than others.

Instead of containing a liquid electrolyte, “which can cause chemical reactions that may degrade the battery or cause fires”, they consist of solid lithium electrodes. They are also “smaller, they last longer, and they could — in time — be cheaper to manufacture”.

Sir James said that he intends to use the Sakti3 batteries in his products within the next three years. Ms Sastry said: “It was an honour to be approached by Dyson, because it wanted what we did — much, much better batteries. There is a great deal of knowledge and passion on both sides; Dyson’s engineering team has the capability and the track record to scale up new ideas and make them a commercial reality.”