APh ePower Receives 2025 R&D 100 Award for its Innovative Elevator Energy Recovery System
In a significant milestone for sustainable technology, APh ePower, the leading provider of aluminum battery solutions, has been honored with the 2025 R&D 100 Award. The accolade celebrates the company's cutting-edge Elevator Regenerative Power System (ERPS), which transforms ordinary elevators into advanced energy-recovery systems. This innovative approach not only optimizes energy efficiency but also contributes to sustainable asset management through carbon credit generation.
Elevators are a common fixture in modern buildings, yet they often operate without much consideration for energy waste. APh ePower's ERPS is designed to recover energy that is usually lost during elevator operation, particularly when ascending with a light load and descending with a heavy load. By leveraging high-efficiency DC-to-DC converters, the system boasts over 90% energy recovery efficiency. This enables the storage of reclaimed energy in a highly efficient aluminum battery, which is capable of rapid charge and discharge cycles.
The implications of ERPS are profound. In addition to ensuring energy availability during power outages—thereby enhancing occupant safety—the system offers buildings resilience that traditional elevator systems do not provide. Furthermore, it opens the door to significant energy savings across the industry. With an estimated 15 million elevators operating worldwide, APh ePower's approach could reduce energy consumption by over 40%, resulting in annual savings of around 164 terawatt-hours (TWh). This staggering figure even eclipses the total energy consumption of many large-scale AI data centers.
In April 2025, APh ePower achieved another key milestone by receiving Gold Standard approval for a methodology that allows various elevator regenerative energy systems to generate carbon credits. This methodology explains how energy savings from regenerative systems can be quantified and verified, transforming these savings into tradable emission reductions. This approval paves the way for new elevator projects to enter the voluntary carbon market effectively.
Gold Standard's CEO, Margaret Kim, expressed support for APh ePower's ERPS, highlighting the real and verifiable reductions in carbon emissions it facilitates. She emphasized the importance of scalable and high-integrity solutions like this one in the mission to mitigate climate change.
However, APh ePower is not stopping at elevators. The company is currently working on extending its aluminum-based dynamic storage technology to various applications, including backup systems for AI data centers, hybrid mobility platforms, and automated guided vehicles (AGVs). As global demand for electrification grows, aluminum batteries are poised to be a critical solution for applications that require quick charge and discharge capabilities.
APh ePower's vision extends beyond just improving individual devices; the company aims to redefine how energy is captured, stored, and monetized across everyday applications. By innovating in an area that has often been overlooked, APh ePower is positioning itself as a true leader in the emerging energy economy.
To learn more about APh ePower and their innovative technologies, visit their website at
APh ePower.
APh ePower's commitment to transforming energy recovery practices not only emphasizes energy efficiency but also highlights the crucial role businesses can play in reducing their carbon footprint and contributing to a more sustainable future.