CSIRO powering up in US market

Peter Dinham
Sunday, 16 August 2009 10:15

Science - Energy

The Australian-invented UltraBattery is set for accelerated development in the United States with the US Government awarding a grant of $US32.5 million to manufacturer East Penn to produce the battery.

The battery was developed by Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and East Penn has won funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)  in a competitive selection process conducted by the US Department of Energy.

The CSIRO said the grant to East Penn was part of $US2.4 billion in funding for 48 advanced battery and electric-drive projects announced by President Barack Obama this month under the ARRAA, and the company would use the grant to increase production of the UltraBattery for micro and mild hybrid applications.

CSIRO Energy Transformed Flagship Director, Dr Alex Wonhas, said President Obama’s commitment was the largest ever single investment in advanced battery technology for hybrid and electric-drive vehicles and aims to accelerate the manufacturing and deployment of batteries and electric vehicles in the US.

Dr Wonhas said the UltraBattery combines a supercapacitor and a lead acid battery in a single unit, creating a hybrid car battery that provides comparable performance but costs considerably less than current technologies used in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs).

The CSIRO licensed the UltraBattery technology to Furukawa Battery Company to commercialise the technology in Japan and Thailand, and further granted permission for Furukawa to sub-license the technology to East Penn for commercialisation and distribution to the automotive and motive power sector throughout North America, Mexico and Canada.

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