Thursday, March 24, 2011

USABC awards $8M advanced battery technology contract to A123 Systems

The United States Advanced Battery Consortium LLC (USABC), an advanced research collaboration among Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Company and General Motors, has awarded an $8-million advanced battery development contract with A123 Systems Inc.

The competitively bid contract award is co-funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and includes a 50% cost-share by A123 Systems.

Usabc-leess
USABC Requirements at End of Life for LEESS PAHEV. Click to enlarge.

USABC awarded the 24-month contract to A123 to continue developing its Nanophosphate lithium-ion battery systems to meet USABC’s target application for a Power-Assist Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PAHEV) Low-Energy Energy Storage System (LEESS). The new LEESS requirements call for a smaller, lighter, lower-cost battery cell with higher regenerative power capability, lower energy and improved cold-crank capability.

USABC is a subsidiary of the United States Council for Automotive Research LLC (USCAR). Enabled by a cooperative agreement with the US Department of Energy (DOE), USABC’s mission is to develop electrochemical energy storage technologies that support commercialization of electric, hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles. As such, USABC has developed mid- and long-term goals to guide its projects and measure its progress.

The new contract with A123 Systems is the company’s third development contract with USABC. In 2006, USCAR announced a $15 million, 36-month battery development contract with A123 to develop its Nanophosphate battery technology. A second $12.5 million technology development contract for plug-in hybrid electric applications was announced in 2008.


Source: Green Car Congress

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