GMG Provides G(R)CELLS to Potential Customers for Early Performance Testing
https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/320113
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2026) - Graphene Manufacturing Group Ltd. (TSXV: GMG) (OTCQX: GMGMF) ("GMG" or the "Company"
is pleased to announce that it has commenced providing its fast-charging G®CELLS battery pouch cells to potential customers for early-stage testing and evaluation. The next generation graphene battery technology is being developed by GMG under a Joint Development Agreement with Rio Tinto, one of the world's largest metals and mining groups, and with the support of the Battery Innovation Center of Indiana ("BIC Indiana" in the United States of America.
Customer Sampling Program
GMG has dispatched the first set of what is expected to be over 100 G®CELLS before the end of 2026 of ~ 1.5 Ah pouch format cells designed for 6 minute charging to a number of potential customers, representing various initial target sectors, including defence and heavy mobile equipment amongst others. The cells were made with battery materials developed, manufactured and supplied by GMG from its Brisbane Battery Development Centre and assembled by BIC Indiana.
This customer sampling program represents early testing of the performance of G®CELLS. Its purpose is to allow potential customers to independently evaluate cell characteristics such as fast-charge capability, cycle life, energy efficiency and behaviour in their own test environments and duty cycles, and to provide feedback to GMG to guide ongoing cell development, optimisation and scale-up. The cells are pre-commercial evaluation samples and are not being supplied for use in commercial products.
This step is consistent with GMG's battery cell roadmap, which calls for the testing of cells with customers in 2026.
Technology Readiness — BTRL 4
The battery technology readiness level ("BTRL" of G®CELLS remains at Level 4. At BTRL 4, the cell technology has been demonstrated and validated in a laboratory environment, and work continues on optimising the electrochemical performance of the pouch cells. Customer evaluation at this stage is intended to generate early, application-relevant performance data and to inform the development steps required to progress the technology to higher readiness levels. Through collaboration with BIC Indiana, it is anticipated that the battery technology readiness will ultimately progress to BTRL 7 and 8, since the equipment and processes needed to produce G®CELLS are the same as those employed to manufacture lithium-ion batteries, though no definitive timeline for achievement can be provided at this time nor can any assurance be provided that GMG's battery technology will ever achieve BTRL 7 or 8.
Recent Performance Results
The cells being sampled follow GMG's most recent battery performance announcement on October 8, 2026¹, in which BIC Indiana data showed that G®CELLS:
Cycled with no performance reduction after 1,000 cycles (as at October 7, 2026) while being charged and discharged in 6 minutes (at 7C);
Achieved an energy density of 58 Wh/kg while being charged in 6 minutes (at 10C), a 48% increase over the previously reported 39 Wh/kg; and
Demonstrated 94% energy efficiency at high charge and discharge rates, compared with 64% for a tested Lithium Titanate Oxide (LTO) cell.
These results were generated in a laboratory setting. Performance in customer testing may differ depending on test protocols, operating conditions and application requirements.
Comments
Craig Nicol, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of GMG, commented: "Putting G®CELLS into the hands of potential customers is an important milestone on our battery roadmap. Our technology is at BTRL 4, and this is early testing — but it is exactly the right time to get real-world feedback. Customers will test our cells against their own requirements, and what we learn will directly shape our next development sprints on energy density, 10C cycle life and larger cell formats. I want to thank the teams at BIC Indiana, our partners at Rio Tinto, and the companies who have agreed to evaluate our cells."
Bob Galyen, GMG Director and former Chief Technology Officer of CATL, commented: "In my experience, getting sample cells to customers early is one of the most valuable steps in any battery development program. Laboratory data tells you what a chemistry can do — customer testing tells you what it needs to do. At BTRL 4, G®CELLS have already shown fast-charge durability and energy efficiency that are rare at this stage of development. Independent evaluation by potential customers, under their own protocols and duty cycles, will give the team the feedback needed to prioritise the next round of optimisation and to plan the path to larger formats and higher readiness levels."
Jack Perkowski, Chairman of GMG, commented: "Sending G®CELLS to potential customers marks the point where our battery program begins to engage directly with the market. The Board is clear that this is early testing at BTRL 4, and we see it as a disciplined, necessary step — one that allows customers to tell us what matters most in their applications before we commit to the next phase of scale-up. With the continued support of Rio Tinto and BIC Indiana, I believe GMG is building the right foundations to move this technology toward commercial relevance, and the Board will continue to support management through the testing and optimisation work ahead."
Next Steps
GMG will work with the evaluating companies to collect test data and feedback over the coming months. In parallel, the Company will continue to optimise G®CELLS energy density and fast-charge cycle life and progress the scale-up of cell sizes. GMG intends to update the market on material outcomes of the customer testing programs as appropriate. Please see the following webpage for further details about the graphene batteries. The G®CELLS are in pouch format — as seen in Figure 1. The launch video link for G®CELLS is shown in Figure 2.
https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/320113
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 21, 2026) - Graphene Manufacturing Group Ltd. (TSXV: GMG) (OTCQX: GMGMF) ("GMG" or the "Company"
is pleased to announce that it has commenced providing its fast-charging G®CELLS battery pouch cells to potential customers for early-stage testing and evaluation. The next generation graphene battery technology is being developed by GMG under a Joint Development Agreement with Rio Tinto, one of the world's largest metals and mining groups, and with the support of the Battery Innovation Center of Indiana ("BIC Indiana" in the United States of America. Customer Sampling Program
GMG has dispatched the first set of what is expected to be over 100 G®CELLS before the end of 2026 of ~ 1.5 Ah pouch format cells designed for 6 minute charging to a number of potential customers, representing various initial target sectors, including defence and heavy mobile equipment amongst others. The cells were made with battery materials developed, manufactured and supplied by GMG from its Brisbane Battery Development Centre and assembled by BIC Indiana.
This customer sampling program represents early testing of the performance of G®CELLS. Its purpose is to allow potential customers to independently evaluate cell characteristics such as fast-charge capability, cycle life, energy efficiency and behaviour in their own test environments and duty cycles, and to provide feedback to GMG to guide ongoing cell development, optimisation and scale-up. The cells are pre-commercial evaluation samples and are not being supplied for use in commercial products.
This step is consistent with GMG's battery cell roadmap, which calls for the testing of cells with customers in 2026.
Technology Readiness — BTRL 4
The battery technology readiness level ("BTRL"
of G®CELLS remains at Level 4. At BTRL 4, the cell technology has been demonstrated and validated in a laboratory environment, and work continues on optimising the electrochemical performance of the pouch cells. Customer evaluation at this stage is intended to generate early, application-relevant performance data and to inform the development steps required to progress the technology to higher readiness levels. Through collaboration with BIC Indiana, it is anticipated that the battery technology readiness will ultimately progress to BTRL 7 and 8, since the equipment and processes needed to produce G®CELLS are the same as those employed to manufacture lithium-ion batteries, though no definitive timeline for achievement can be provided at this time nor can any assurance be provided that GMG's battery technology will ever achieve BTRL 7 or 8. Recent Performance Results
The cells being sampled follow GMG's most recent battery performance announcement on October 8, 2026¹, in which BIC Indiana data showed that G®CELLS:
Cycled with no performance reduction after 1,000 cycles (as at October 7, 2026) while being charged and discharged in 6 minutes (at 7C);
Achieved an energy density of 58 Wh/kg while being charged in 6 minutes (at 10C), a 48% increase over the previously reported 39 Wh/kg; and
Demonstrated 94% energy efficiency at high charge and discharge rates, compared with 64% for a tested Lithium Titanate Oxide (LTO) cell.
These results were generated in a laboratory setting. Performance in customer testing may differ depending on test protocols, operating conditions and application requirements.
Comments
Craig Nicol, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of GMG, commented: "Putting G®CELLS into the hands of potential customers is an important milestone on our battery roadmap. Our technology is at BTRL 4, and this is early testing — but it is exactly the right time to get real-world feedback. Customers will test our cells against their own requirements, and what we learn will directly shape our next development sprints on energy density, 10C cycle life and larger cell formats. I want to thank the teams at BIC Indiana, our partners at Rio Tinto, and the companies who have agreed to evaluate our cells."
Bob Galyen, GMG Director and former Chief Technology Officer of CATL, commented: "In my experience, getting sample cells to customers early is one of the most valuable steps in any battery development program. Laboratory data tells you what a chemistry can do — customer testing tells you what it needs to do. At BTRL 4, G®CELLS have already shown fast-charge durability and energy efficiency that are rare at this stage of development. Independent evaluation by potential customers, under their own protocols and duty cycles, will give the team the feedback needed to prioritise the next round of optimisation and to plan the path to larger formats and higher readiness levels."
Jack Perkowski, Chairman of GMG, commented: "Sending G®CELLS to potential customers marks the point where our battery program begins to engage directly with the market. The Board is clear that this is early testing at BTRL 4, and we see it as a disciplined, necessary step — one that allows customers to tell us what matters most in their applications before we commit to the next phase of scale-up. With the continued support of Rio Tinto and BIC Indiana, I believe GMG is building the right foundations to move this technology toward commercial relevance, and the Board will continue to support management through the testing and optimisation work ahead."
Next Steps
GMG will work with the evaluating companies to collect test data and feedback over the coming months. In parallel, the Company will continue to optimise G®CELLS energy density and fast-charge cycle life and progress the scale-up of cell sizes. GMG intends to update the market on material outcomes of the customer testing programs as appropriate. Please see the following webpage for further details about the graphene batteries. The G®CELLS are in pouch format — as seen in Figure 1. The launch video link for G®CELLS is shown in Figure 2.
