Lithium Technology to Develop Li-Ion Batteries

The U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command in Warren, Michigan, recently awarded to T/J Technologies a 30-month, $5.1 million Tank-Automotive Research Development Engineering Center (TARDEC) program requirement. Under this award T/J Technologies will develop and demonstrate large format lithium-ion batteries for future military hybrid vehicles.

The T/J Technologies team consists of Lithium Technology Corp. (LTC), of Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania; Saturn Electronics & Engineering, Inc., of Auburn Hills, Michigan; Powdermet, Inc. of Euclid, Ohio, and Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) of Emeryville, California.

During the development and demonstration project performed under a separate TACOM contract managed by SAIC, test cells built by LTC using the T/J proprietary materials were shown to have superior discharge and charge performance over state-of-the-art hybrid vehicle batteries. Large format lithium-ion batteries may allow military and commercial heavy- and medium-duty hybrid vehicles to quickly become economically feasible.

Andrew J. Manning, president and COO of LTC, said, “Through strategic partnerships, like the one with T/J Technologies, LTC enhances its presence as a dominant player in the large format lithium-ion batteries.”