Mexican Media Brands
DOE Battery Goal: 3X Range at One-Third the Cost
A new U.S. Dept. of Energy initiative seeks to develop electric car batteries that can triple driving range and slash by two-thirds.
#hybrid
Share
A new U.S. Dept. of Energy initiative seeks to develop electric car batteries that can triple driving range and slash by two-thirds.
The program, dubbed RANGE (Robust Affordable Next-Generation EV Storage), will award a total of about $20 million to as many as 12 projects. If successful, DOE says, the effort will enable carmakers to produce EVs at a cost and range comparable to cars with conventional internal combustion powertrains.
Awards will be made by the DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. ARPA-E says it is looking for innovative systems that are immune to catastrophic failure such as thermal runaway that can occur with lithium-ion batteries. The agency notes that such solutions would free carmakers from the need to shield batteries from crash damage.
ARPA-E also seeks "multifunctional" designs, meaning batteries that could shoulder a vehicle's structural load or help absorb crash energy.
Primary technical targets include a manufacturing cost of less than $125 per kilowatt-hour, effective specific energy greater than 150 Watt-hours per kilogram and effective energy density greater than 230 Watt-hours per liter.
Applicants must submit a proposal by March 21. Details are available HERE.
RELATED CONTENT
-
On Fuel Cells, Battery Enclosures, and Lucid Air
A skateboard for fuel cells, building a better battery enclosure, what ADAS does, a big engine for boats, the curious case of lean production, what drivers think, and why Lucid is remarkable
-
On Zeekr, the Price of EVs, and Lighting Design
About Zeekr, failure, the price of EVs, lighting design, and the exceedingly attractive Karma
-
On Ford Maverick, Toyota Tundra Hybrid, and GM's Factory Footprint
GM is transforming its approach to the auto market—and its factories. Ford builds a small truck for the urban market. Toyota builds a full-size pickup and uses a hybrid instead of a diesel. And Faurecia thinks that hydrogen is where the industry is going.
