ExCURSion Program Overview

Current technologies for portable energy storage and use by expeditionary forces are dominated by batteries and traditional fossil fuels.  Batteries can in principle be electrically recharged from any voltage source, a feature that makes them extremely operationally flexible. However, existing rechargeable electric power sources suffer from low energy density (generally 5 kWh/L). However, fossil fuels require regular resupply, a costly, and often dangerous operation.

The ability to generate fuel from local sources of CO₂ and energy would combine the high energy density of fossil fuels with the energy-source-agnostic advantage of electric systems to revolutionize expeditionary energy logistics. Combining CO₂ capture and storage with CO₂ reduction to energy-storing fuel species, would enable a completely closed system that can capture its own combustion stream and recharge its fuel content upon energy input. Such a system could take advantage of the high energy density of traditional fossil fuels and the operational flexibility of an electric battery system. 

The ExCURSion program seeks innovative research in foundational technologies to enable carbon dioxide (CO₂) reduction, capture, and storage. These technologies are envisioned as key components for a future self-enclosed system that creates liquid carbon fuels and uses them to store and deploy energy to address the need for energy resilience in an expeditionary setting, independent of a fuel supply line. The envisioned system will enable safe, field-deployable, high-density, and rechargeable energy storage.

 Teaming

DARPA highly encourages teaming before proposal submission and will facilitate the formation of teams with the necessary expertise. Potential proposers may choose to participate in either, none, or both of the following options:

1. Attendee List (limited distribution): Participant contact information (name, organization, email address) will be distributed to all other ExCURSion Proposers Day attendees. The registration website will ask registrants to indicate whether they approve publication of their contact information.
2. Proposer Profile List (limited distribution): Interested parties will submit a one-page profile consisting of their contact information (name, organization, email, telephone number, mailing address, and, if applicable, organization website), a brief description of their technical competencies, and, if applicable, their desired expertise from other teams/organizations. All profiles must be emailed to ExCURSion@darpa.mil no later than 12:00 p.m. on March 4, 2024. Following the deadline, the consolidated teaming profiles will be sent via email to the proposers who submitted a valid profile. Specific content, communications, networking, and team formation are the sole responsibility of the participants. Neither DARPA nor the Department of Defense (DoD) endorses the information and organizations contained in the consolidated teaming profile document, nor does DARPA or DoD exercise any responsibility for improper dissemination of the teaming profiles.

LIGHTNING TALKS
Attendees may be afforded the opportunity to give a Lightning Talk (a brief, 3-minute oral presentation) during the Proposers Day outlining their interests and capabilities. The purpose of these presentations is to facilitate teaming discussions among the attendees. Upon registering, attendees may indicate if they would like to give a Lightning Talk. Due to limited availability, DARPA will accept submissions on a first-come, first-served basis and does not guarantee that an attendee’s requests to brief will be fulfilled. Submitted briefing materials are limited to a single, PDF-format slide, which should be appropriate for public release, as they will be shared with the session via webcast. The slide must be submitted to ExCURSion@darpa.mil by 11:00 a.m. on February 27, 2024. DARPA will contact submitters upon receipt of their slide with additional guidance for the Proposers Day.

Event Participation