Johnson Controls Receives Development Contract

Johnson Controls has received a contract from the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) to develop an abuse-tolerant lithium-ion battery with extended life and improved power-to-weight performance.

The U.S. Department of Energy and Johnson Controls are funding the 18-month program. The USABC, whose members include DaimlerChrysler, Ford, and General Motors, is providing programmatic support.

Johnson Controls is required to supply modules that can be tested for abuse-tolerance, capacity, pulse power, calendar life, and cycle life. The initial product will consist of 12Ah cells. A major goal is to meet the FreedomCAR battery requirements, set forth by the USABC.

The Johnson Controls advanced battery hybrid systems team in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will lead the development program. Cell and module development efforts will be carried out at the firm’s Hannover, Germany, facility with additional work on the battery-management system to be performed in Cergy-Pontoise, France.