The material is considered desirable because it lasts longer between charges and can charge at higher voltages.
“The creation of this battery technology represents an important return on the American investment in innovative vehicle and battery research,” said US Energy Secretary Steven Chu during a conference call with reporters Thursday afternoon.
“This agreement gives General Motors the ability to use cutting-edge battery technology throughout its supply chain. The licensing of this technology will also spur the renewal of the American battery industry, creating hundreds of new jobs where they are needed most,” he said.
Micky Bly, GM executive director for Electric Systems, Hybrids, Electric Vehicles and Batteries, said d the agreement with Argonne builds on the automaker’s commitment to lead the development of vehicle electrification technologies designed to meet the diverse needs of customers around the world.
“Engineers and researchers at General Motors are working on next-generation battery systems that will reduce cost while providing improved performance, expanding the practicality and affordability of electric vehicles in the future,” Bly said.
The cathode material licensed to GM is part of a large, diverse suite of Li-ion battery inventions and patents developed at Argonne with DOE funding.
The agency also provided funding for early science research that helped develop this technology.
Use of the cathode material will yield advanced batteries that are high-performing, long-lasting and safe when compared to the existing technology that has dominated the market for nearly two decades.
“The goal of Argonne's battery research is to support the US automobile industry,” said Jeff Chamberlain, who heads Argonne's Energy Storage Initiative. “The transfer of this technology is a powerful example of how basic research and technology development performed at a DOE national laboratory can produce technology that is useful to US citizens.”
Compared with currently available materials, Argonne's composite cathode material has a unique combination of lithium- and manganese-rich mixed-metal oxides in a stable materials-design approach that will: Extend the operating time between charges and increase the calendar life of batteries, improve the inherent safety of lithium-ion cells, and allow charging at higher voltages, which leads to a substantially higher energy storage capacity.
Argonne also announced today that it has licensed its cathode technology to LG Chem for use in battery cells used in the Chevrolet Volt electric car with extended-range capability.
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