EnerDel Wins $3.3 Million Federal Grant for Lithium Battery Safety Research
By John O'Dell June 23, 2009
The federal Energy Department has awarded lithium-ion battery maker EnerDel $3.3 million for research related to improving the safety and efficiency of batteries earmarked for hybrid-electric vehicles.
EnerDel said in a statement that it will work with Chicago-based Argonne National Laboratories on development of a chemical additive that prevents lithium-ion batteries from overcharging.
The award is the largest in a new group of projects under the auspices of the Energy Department's Vehicle Technologies program, said EnerDel, whose New York-based parent Ener1 has applied for further DOE funding to expand its manufacturing capacity under the Advanced Battery Manufacturing Initiative grant and Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing loan programs.
EnerDel has been trying to boost revenue with a combination of grants from the U.S. government and contract awards from private companies.
Since the beginning of may, the battery maker has won a contract to make batteries for buses of Northern California's Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District and signed a letter of intent to make batteries for Fisker Automotive's Karma plug-in hybrid vehicle, which is scheduled to reach the market next June.
"This award by the Department of Energy will help us enhance the reliability, safety and performance characteristics of lithium-ion batteries and widen their scope of commercial application," EnerDel Chief Executive Officer Ulrik Grape said in a statement.
In December, EnerDel was named a partner in the Energy Department's $1.25 million effort to develop high-energy batteries for hybrid buses and other heavy-duty vehicles.
Ener1's first quarter revenue was $8.19 million, up from $97,000 a year earlier. The company, which last year announced that it would expand the manufacturing capacity of EnerDel's Indianapolis plant, last October acquired a controlling stake in South Korea-based Enertech in a move designed to allow Ener1 to meet automakers' rapidly growing demand for lithium-ion technology.
Danny King, Contributor
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