A Voltron for lithium batteries? 14 companies, Argonne National Lab join forces
Perhaps a flock-like approach to building lithium batteries for vehicles is what it'll take. A new alliance has been formed between the Argonne National Laboratory and 14 US companies to try and "perfect" li-ion batteries for cars, the lab announced this week. The alliance, called The National Alliance for Advanced Transportation Battery Cell Manufacture, will ask for between $1 and $2 billion from the US government over five years to help with the task. Much has been made of the way that America is losing the advanced battery race to Asian countries, and an Argonne spokesman said that, "A small, fragmented (U.S.) battery industry will not long survive in the face of determined Asian competition."The companies involved in the alliance include:
- Johnson Controls-Saft Advanced Power Solutions
- 3M Co
- ActaCell
- All Cell Technologies
- Altair Nanotechnologies Inc
- Eagle Picher Industries Inc
- EnerSys
- Envia Systems
- FMC Corp
- MicroSun Technologies
- Mobius Power
- SiLyte
- Superior Graphite
- Townsend Advanced Energy
Photo by ewen and donabel. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.
[Source: Reuters]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
isaac 3:45PM (12/20/2008)
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isaac 3:47PM (12/20/2008)
i love this website
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Doug 10:05AM (12/21/2008)
"and I'll form... the HEAD"
jake 3:49PM (12/20/2008)
I've been waiting for this for a while. I'm hoping that companies can come together and consolidate all the advanced battery technologies so we can quickly get to mass produced automotive li-ions rather than the currently slower pacing with fragmented implementations (should be interesting how they can get the companies to work together since there's likely a lot of proprietary technology and also multiple types of li-ion chemistry).
If we are serious about EVs and PHEVs (or even hydrogen and hybrids for the smaller packs), this is a good idea. It's a good way to get battery packs to a cheaper price for all automakers (rather than requiring than automakers making their own deals to get prices down). Should also quiet concerns of trading foreign oil for "foreign batteries".
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fernando 8:58AM (12/22/2008)
This is very good the companys try to make something toghether, but the lithium race has a winner and is altair nanotechnologies, so if the market help altair buying their products soon, Usa win the race of Lithium batteries, if the automakers try to find their own solution Usa loose. Why the companies in USA are so blind? Look Japan Yuasa is doing agreements with Honda and another automakers, Japaneese automakers prefers quality. Altair nanotech have the best quality in Lithium batteries, What are you waiting for?
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