June 2008

around the industry

PowerGenix Unveils Rechargeable NiZn Battery

PowerGenix of San Diego, California, unveiled its rechargeable D-Cell battery pack for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) at the May 12-15 Advanced Automotive Battery and Ultracapacitor Conference in Tampa, Florida. The company's nickel-zinc (NiZn) battery pack delivers 30% more power and increased energy density plus reduced size, weight and cost relative to existing nickel metal-hydride (NiMH) technologies.

The nickel-zinc-powered HEV, a retrofitted Toyota Prius, featured PowerGenix's NiZn battery pack installed alongside the original NiMH pack to showcase the size and weight savings of PowerGenix's technology. Compared with traditional NiMH batteries, these NiZn battery packs offer a 30% increase in miles per gallon; 100% safe, nontoxic and non-combustible battery cells and packs; and the highest level of recyclable constituent parts of any rechargeable battery chemistry.

Bypassing the expensive safety power control systems and manufacturing processes required for lithium-ion technologies, NiZn can be easily integrated into existing hybrid vehicle designs at about one-half the cost per watt-hour of a lithium-ion battery. Additionally, PowerGenix's NiZn chemistry has been specifically engineered to take advantage of the current alkaline battery supply chain and can be manufactured on existing nickel cadmium (NiCd) and NiMH production lines.

Electro Energy Battery Receives UL Certification

Electro Energy Inc. of Danbury, Connecticut, has received Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) certification for its model 18650AXA rechargeable lithium-ion cylindrical cell under the UL Component Recognition Program. This certifies full compliance with UL Standard 1642, "Lithium Batteries." The company is ready to take orders.

In other news, Electro Energy has been awarded $750,000 from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to continue development of ultra-high energy density, rechargeable, lithium batteries for Air Force applications.

The U.S. Air Force SBIR Phase II contract award identifies a nanocomposite, rechargeable, lithium battery cathode material providing high-specific energy, and Electro Energy's proprietary cell design to develop a more powerful, compact, rechargeable battery. A nanocomposite electrode fabricated with a metal fluoride is expected to provide packaged batteries with specific energies of 400-500Wh/kg, twice the energy of Li-ion polymer cells.

ExxonMobil Introduces New Separator Films

ExxonMobil Chemical introduced new co-extruded separator grades for hybrid and electric vehicle batteries at the Advanced Automotive Battery Conference (AABC) in Tampa, Florida. ExxonMobil Chemical and its Japanese affiliate, Tonen Chemical, have developed two new separator grades with co-extrusion technology to meet more demanding battery requirements. The new co-extruded grades offer enhanced permeability, improved strength, reduced heat shrinkage and higher rupture temperature to improve battery safety and performance.

This technology platform builds on ExxonMobil Chemical's 20 years of innovation and experience in lithium-ion battery separators. Production from existing commercial lines provides ExxonMobil Chemical with the flexibility to scale-up to meet the anticipated growth in demand for hybrid and electric vehicle batteries.

Nissan to Make Lithium-Ion Batteries with NEC

Nissan Motor Co. and NEC Corp. will join forces in the world's first mass production of Li-ion batteries for hybrid electric vehicles. The companies plan to spend ¥20 billion to build a plant in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, the Nikkei Business Daily said.

Production will begin early next year under Automotive Energy Supply Corp. (AESC), an equally owned joint venture of Nissan and NEC. The venture will mass-produce enough lithium-ion batteries for 10,000 electric vehicles at the initial stage with plans to raise production capacity by six-fold in the future.

Nissan, Japan's second largest carmaker, plans to raise its stake in the venture to 51% when AESC increases its capital for the project.

AESC is to ship batteries to Nissan as well as the automaker's French partner, Renault SA. Nissan and Renault plan to sell electric cars in Japan and the US starting in 2010.

Electrode Health Analyzer Distribution Agreement

VIASPACE Inc. of Pasadena, California, has entered into a distribution agreement for its BA-1000 Battery Electrode Health Analyzer product with WonATech Corp. of Seoul, Korea. WonATech is a major distributor of fuel cell and battery test stations to companies and universities in Korea, with additional distribution partners in Taiwan, China, Malaysia, India, and Iran.

Improving the performance and safety of lithium batteries is a major challenge for manufacturers and researchers. Battery capacity and safety is limited by electrode changes during charge and discharge cycles. The BA-1000 Battery Electrode Health Analyzer is the first instrument developed to study these changes using a new, patent-pending, nondestructive technique, which enables continuous analysis over the life cycle of the battery. "We believe that the BA-1000 will help customers rapidly develop and optimize new designs for rechargeable batteries for electronics, power tools and electric vehicles," says Carl Kukkonen, VIASPACE's CEO.

USABC Awards Battery Contract to A123Systems

The U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC), an organization whose members are Chrysler LLC, Ford Motor Co., and General Motors Corp., awarded a $12.5 million plug-in hybrid electric battery technology development contract to A123Systems Inc. of Watertown, Massachusetts. USABC awarded the contract in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy.

A123Systems' key program objectives for its Li-ion battery technology will be to improve cell energy density to meet charge depleting requirements; reduce cell cost; test abuse tolerance for automotive applications; and demonstrate performance, cycle and calendar life.

Inspired Energy's New High Power Density Battery

Inspired Energy of Newberry, Florida, has launched the first in a new range of high power density smart lithium- ion battery packs ‚ the 7-cell, 25V, 2.9Ah, 73Wh PG3665A29. Designed for rugged environments, the PG3665 features an aluminum extruded case with molded end-caps which recess the D-sub connector, fuel-gauge window and the stainless, spring-steel pull handle.

The battery can be bolted to a chassis by sliding M4 nuts along the included "T-tracks". With a nominal voltage of 25.2V the PG3665 is ideal for use with 24V DC electric motors ‚ its high discharge current capability handles large current spikes during start-up. A high-current D-Sub connector with optional screw-mounting posts enables the use of a cable battery connection, creating a version with "flying leads". The PG3665 can be recharged in-situ using Inspired Energy's "P-Series" desktop chargers or a SMBus-compliant charger. AC mains cables are available for U.S., U.K. and European operation.

An on-board microprocessor communicates battery diagnostics, cell monitoring, and fuel gauging to the host device. The fuel gauge information is provided via the SMBus or the LCD panel on the end of the battery pack.

Vinck to Retire as Umicore Chairman

Karel Vinck plans to retire as chairman of Umicore's board of directors upon reaching age 70. The board has elected Thomas Leysen as chairman. After the November 19 board meeting, Leysen will take over from Vinck and Marc Grynberg will succeed Leysen as CEO.

While Vinck was Umicore's CEO from 1995 to 2000, he restructured the activities, restored profitability and created solid foundations for the company to grow. In 2000, he assumed the chairmanship of the board.

"I have had the privilege to work with an outstanding management team and work force, whose dedication and thoroughness were the foundations of the success of Umicore," says Vinck.

Leysen reshaped the company through significant portfolio changes, such as the acquisition of PMG in 2003, the demerger of Cumerio and the IPO of Nyrstar last year.

Grynberg holds a masters degree in business sciences from the Solvay Business School of the University of Brussels. He joined Umicore in 1996 as group controller and became chief financial officer in 2000.

Teams Selected for EcoCAR Competition

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), General Motors (GM) and Natural Resources Canada have selected 17 teams to participate in EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge, a vehicle engineering competition between various colleges which will begin this fall.

University students will re-engineer a Saturn VUE to improve fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while retaining the vehicle's performance and consumer appeal. Students will be encouraged to explore full-function electric, range-extended electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell technologies. They will incorporate lightweight materials into vehicles, improve aerodynamics and use alternative fuels. This three-year competition emphasizes a practical, realizable solution.

The selected teams are the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Georgia Tech, Howard University, Michigan Technological University, Mississippi State University, Missouri University of Science and Technology, North Carolina State University, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Texas Tech University, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, University of Victoria, University of Waterloo, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia University.

Production vehicles, vehicle components, seed money, technical mentoring and operational support will be provided by GM. Competition management, team evaluation, and technical and logistical support will be provided by the DOE and Argonne National Laboratory. Extensive operational support will be furnished by the Government of Canada. Critical software and hardware components will be supplied by National Instruments, dSPACE, The MathWorks, and Freescale Semiconductor.

Visit www.ecoCARchallenge.org.

TACO and GYIN Launch Tata Green Batteries

The 50:50 joint venture between Tata AutoComp Systems Ltd. (TACO) and GS Yuasa International (GYIN), Japan, have launched Tata Green, a range of environment-friendly automotive batteries based on calcium-calcium technology with unique features that will revolutionize the Indian automobile market.

The batteries will be manufactured in Pune, Maharashtra, India, initially for passenger cars and then for utility vehicles. The joint venture also plans to launch batteries for commercial vehicles, farm vehicles and two-wheelers in future.

The advanced technology ensures that the "Green" batteries do not require any kind of top-ups or maintenance for the first one lakh kilometer. The unique design of the calcium-calcium battery minimizes water loss, reduces self-discharge, increases storage time and provides best protection from acid spillage and sparks.

Saft Batteries Start Their First GALILEO Mission

Saft Li-ion batteries started their first mission for GALILEO, Europe's global navigation satellite system, with a successful April launch of the GIOVE-B experimental satellite from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

GALILEO Industries and the European Space Agency selected Saft technology to provide onboard backup power for GIOVE-B's electronic systems during the periods with no direct sunlight for more than 60 minutes. Throughout these eclipse periods, which will take place at least 170 times a year, the batteries will deliver around 0.6kW of power to ensure the satellite's continued operation.