News

Edward Buiel Joins Axion Power as Chief of R&D

September 26, 2005 by Jeff Shepard

Axion Power International Inc. (Woodbridge, Ontario), the developer of a new "e3 Supercell" lead-acid-carbon energy storage device, announced that Edward Buiel has joined the company as its Chief of Research and Development. Before joining Axion, Buiel served as project leader for the Energy Storage Group of Meadwestvaco Corp., where his team focused on developing activated carbon materials for electrochemical applications, including lithium-ion batteries, organic ultracapacitors, and asymmetric lead-carbon capacitors. His responsibilities included managing a USCAR-Advanced Battery Consortium project to develop activated carbon materials for hybrid-electric vehicle energy storage systems, and managing a joint program with Sandia National Laboratories to develop lead-carbon capacitors for grid-connected energy storage systems.

Axion Chief Executive Officer Thomas Granville said, "We are thrilled to have Dr. Buiel choose Axion as we begin the transition from processing kilograms of carbon to processing metric tons of carbon. Ed's first project will be to direct procurement and installation for our planned carbon electrode manufacturing facility. This new facility, which should be operational by the first quarter of 2006, will give us the in-house ability to manufacture carbon electrodes for our application prototypes while generating ancillary revenue from third-party sales. We believe that Dr. Buiel's experience in activated carbon manufacturing will accelerate the development and commercialization timeline for our planned hybrid-electric vehicle energy storage systems by a minimum of six to nine months. In addition, his long-standing working relationships with thought leaders at the USCAR Consortium and Sandia National Laboratories should prove invaluable as we refine our e3 Supercell technology and introduce application prototypes for hybrid-electric vehicle and grid-connected applications."

The company's e3 Supercell technology replaces the lead-based negative electrodes found in conventional lead-acid batteries with nanoporous carbon electrodes. The result is a new class of hybrid energy storage device that offers a combination of battery and supercapacitor performance characteristics. Axion plans to develop e3 Supercells for high-performance energy storage systems for hybrid automobiles; energy storage systems for other motive applications, including industrial and transportation equipment; uninterruptible power supplies and dc power systems; and storage and buffering systems for grid-connected alternative and conventional power generation.