The United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) has selected ultracapacitor maker Maxwell Technologies (Maxwell) to develop an ultracapacitor/li-ion battery for stop-start vehicles.
The USABC, a subsidiary of the United States Council for Automotive Research, will grant Maxwell $2.68m. The contract is part of a 19-month cost-sharing programme in which the California-based ultracapacitor firm will provide 51%. The award is co-funded by the US Department of Energy.
Maxwell is aimed to research the technological and economic feasibility of a 12V hybrid energy storage system consisting of lithium-ion batteries and the company’s ultracapacitors that can meet stop-start performance specifications established by USABC.
“The hybrid battery this program aims to create could be instrumental in strengthening U.S. automakers’ competitive position within a global auto industry that annually produces more than 60m cars,” said Franz Fink, Maxwell’s president and chief executive officer.
Maxwell will particularly focus on high power density, long operational lifetime, low-temperature performance and influence on battery performance and lifetime.
The research collaboration between Chrysler Group, Ford and General Motors, USABC, tries to make the hybrid system affordable and standard in US vehicles, but there is a pushback from US consumers, who are unfamiliar with the systems and often perceive the vehicle as working improperly.