DOE To Provide Nearly 20 Million For Development Of Advanced Batteries For PHEVs
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that it will invest nearly $20 million in plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) research. Five projects have been selected for negotiation of awards under DOE’s collaboration with the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) for $17.2 million in DOE funding for PHEV battery development projects and; DOE will provide nearly $2 million to the University of Michigan to spearhead a study exploring the future of PHEVs.
The DOE states that the funding will help advance President Bush’s "Twenty in Ten Plan", which aims to displace 20% of gasoline usage by 2017 through greater use of clean, renewable fuels and increased vehicle efficiency. PHEVs have the potential to displace a large amount of gasoline by delivering up to 40 miles of electric range without recharging – a distance that would include most daily round-trip commutes.
The five projects selected for negotiation of awards of up to $17.2 million from DOE aim to address critical barriers to the commercialization of PHEVs, specifically battery cost and battery life. Combined with cost-share from the USABC, these projects will allow up to $38 million in battery research and development. DOE funding is subject to negotiation of final contract terms and Congressional appropriations. Projects are expected to begin this year and continue through 2009; funding will come from DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy. USABC will negotiate final contract terms with five lithium ion battery developers.
Companies selected for negotiation of awards include: 3M – awarded up to $1.14 million to screen nickel/manganese/cobalt (NMC) cathode materials through building and testing of small-sized cells; A123Systems – awarded up to $6.25 million for a project to develop batteries based on nanophase iron-phosphate chemistry for 10- and 40-mile range PHEVs; Compact Power Inc. – awarded up to $4.45 million to develop batteries for 10-mile range PHEVs using high energy and high power Manganese-spinel; EnerDel, Inc. – awarded up to $1.25 million to develop cells for 10- and 40-mile range PHEVs using nano-phase lithium titanate coupled with a high voltage Nickel-Manganese cathode material; and Johnson Controls – Saft Advanced Power Solutions – awarded up to $4.1 million to develop batteries using a nickelate/layered chemistry for 10- and 40-mile range PHEVs.
The University of Michigan’s Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute (MMPEI) will receive nearly $2 million from DOE to coordinate efforts among DOE and its Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and DTE Energy to conduct a two-year study on PHEVs. Research for this study will take place over the next two years, and a preliminary report is expected to be released in January of 2008, at the Detroit Auto Show.