A partnership based at a new laboratory at the Wisconsin Energy Institute on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus will strengthen Johnson Controls’ ability to research and develop next-generation technology, the company says.
The lab, called the Johnson Controls Advanced Systems Test Lab, will support research focused on vehicular and stationary energy.
The project will team industry scientists with UW professors, graduate students and undergraduate students. It follows a donation which includes state-of-the-art battery testing technology, which will allow students, faculty and engineers to study and optimize energy storage systems.
The UW-Madison partnership complements Johnson Controls’ existing partnership with UW-Milwaukee where Johnson Controls scientists are working with university research staff and students to develop new energy storage materials.
The lab will be equipped to test batteries both inside and outside of a vehicle.
“This partnership will help advance the energy storage industry by expanding the reach of our university research partnerships,” said Christian Rosenkranz, vice president of advanced products for Johnson Controls Power Solutions. Rosenkranz added: “With the help of the UW-Madison, Johnson Controls will test cutting-edge energy storage concepts while training a new generation of engineers.”
In addition to the University of Wisconsin system universities, the company currently has partnerships with Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, Argonne National Lab, Lawrence Technological University, Ohio State University, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Hannover University, Aachen University, University of Cambridge and University of Science and Technology-Beijing.