Battery startup lands its first customer

Amionx, which is trying to build safer batteries, has landed its first customer.

Why it matters: Batteries are increasingly central to all manner of digital devices, from phones to electric cars — and yet their very nature compresses volatile components into tight spaces, creating risks of fire and explosion.

The latest: The still-small San Diego firm's first customer is a large, well-known consumer electronics maker, who they can't name. The customer plans to use the technology in multiple products.

Where it stands: They are just at the beginning of the relationship, so products with their technology aren't likely to hit until at least next year. The company is also in talks with other firms, including a luxury car maker as well as other makers of laptops, cell phones and power tools.

How it works: Amionx's technology works by adding a material to the battery that acts something like an internal fuse that can be triggered whenever a current, voltage or temperature threshold is exceeded. 

Go deeper: The battery tech Samsung wishes it had last year