0 Emission: DOE, USABC will fund nearly $38 million for plug-in hybrid research

Thursday, September 27, 2007

DOE, USABC will fund nearly $38 million for plug-in hybrid research

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Legislation and Policy

Another nice green car announcement from the Department of Energy this week: almost $20 million for plug-in hybrid research. The DOE is presenting PHEVs as cars that can go "up to 40 miles" on battery power, so that seems to be the government's goal. Something to keep in mind.

The United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) will co-fund five of the projects the DOE is giving money to, bringing the total PHEV funding in this case to $38 million. The companies involved are:

3M of St. Paul, MN - selected for an award of up to $1.14 million from DOE (total DOE/industry cost share: $ 2.28 million) over two years to screen nickel/manganese/cobalt (NMC) cathode materials through building and testing of small-sized cells;
A123Systems of Watertown, MA - selected for an award of up to $6.25 million from DOE (total DOE/industry cost share: $12.5 million) over three years for a project to develop batteries based on nanophase iron-phosphate chemistry for 10- and 40-mile range PHEVs;
Compact Power Inc. of Troy, MI - selected for an award of up to $4.45 million from DOE (total DOE/industry cost share: $12.7 million) over three years to develop batteries for 10-mile range PHEVs using high energy and high power Manganese-spinel;
EnerDel, Inc. of Indianapolis, IN - selected for an award of up to $1.25 million from DOE (total DOE/industry cost share: $2.5 million) over two years to develop cells for 10- and 40-mile range PHEVs using nano-phase lithium titanate coupled with a high voltage Nickel-Manganese cathode material;
Johnson Controls - Saft Advanced Power Solutions of Milwaukee, WI - selected for an award of up to $4.1 million from DOE (total DOE/industry cost-share: $8.2 million) over two years to develop batteries using a nickelate/layered chemistry for 10- and 40-mile range PHEVs.

The University of Michigan will also get almost $2 million for a two-year study about "the future of PHEVs." Specifically, the study will look at how PHEVs might interact with a smart grid and how the public might react to these cars. We like them, right? Do you hear us, U of M?

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