Saturday, December 09, 2006

USABC Awards A123 Systems $15 Million Battery Development Contract

SUABC

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Dec. 8, 2006 – The United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC), an organization composed of DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Ford Motor Company and General Motors Corporation, today announced the award of a $15 million lithium iron phosphate battery technology development contract to A123Systems of Watertown, Mass. USABC awarded the contract in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop lithium iron phosphate battery technology for hybrid-electric vehicle applications. The contract is for 36 months with a focus on systems that are high-power, abuse-tolerant and cost effective.
USABC is a consortium of the United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR). Supported by a cooperative agreement with the DOE that provides up to 50 percent of the USABC budget, USABC's mission is to develop electrochemical energy storage technologies that support commercialization of fuel cell, hybrid and electric vehicles.

A123Systems' contract involves developing the next-generation lithium iron phosphate battery. The goals for this program are significant increases in power, reduction in cost, high abuse-tolerance and long battery life.

"We are pleased to announce USABC's award of this contract to A123Systems as part of USABC's broad battery technology research and development program," said Don Walkowicz, executive director of USCAR. "The program is essential to advance both near- and long-term goals for hybrid-electric vehicle transportation."
The new contract is A123Systems' first with USABC.

The U.S. DOE's overarching mission is to advance the national, economic and energy security of the United States. DOE's Office of FreedomCAR & Vehicle Technologies works with industry to develop advanced transportation technologies that reduce the nation's use of imported oil and increase our energy security. Electrochemical energy storage has been identified as a critical enabling technology for advanced, fuel-efficient, light and heavy duty vehicles.

Founded in 1992, the United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) is the umbrella organization for collaborative research among DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Ford Motor Company and General Motors Corporation. The goal of USCAR is to further strengthen the technology base of the domestic auto industry through cooperative research and development.

For more information, visit USCAR's Web site at www.uscar.org

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