U.S. Government Endorses Oz-Developed UltraBattery

Pennsylvania-based East Penn Mfg. Co. Inc. wins a $32.5 million federal grant to increase development of Australian UltraBattery technology for micro- and mild-hybrid-vehicle applications.

The grant is part of a $2.4 billion funding package for 48 advanced-battery and electric-drive projects announced earlier this year by President Obama under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Developed by Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), the UltraBattery combines a supercapacitor and lead-acid battery into a single unit.

Existing hybrid-electric vehicles rely on nickel-metal-hydride batteries, with more powerful and compact lithium-ion chemistries beginning to reach the market.

CSIRO licensed UltraBattery technology to Furukawa Battery Co. Ltd. to commercialize the technology in Japan and Thailand. Furukawa, in turn, sublicensed the technology to East Penn for commercialization and distribution throughout the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

“The Department of Energy grant marks a significant endorsement of UltraBattery by the U.S. government,” CSIRO Energy Transformed Flagship Director Alex Wonhas says.

“UltraBattery is an exciting product that could significantly reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in the transport sector.”

East Penn says the new technology enhances the ability of the battery to accept and deliver high levels of power with low levels of electrical resistance similar to a supercapacitor.

“Traditionally, supercapacitor and lead-acid batteries are separate components relying on electronic controllers and complex algorithms to switch power between both units,” the company says in a statement.

“This new technology eliminates the need for additional electronic control and multiple energy-storage devices.”

East Penn says the UltraBattery is ideal for HEVs, which rely on a battery-operated electric motor to meet peak power needs during acceleration and recapture energy normally wasted through braking to recharge the battery.

The company says in certain tests, the new battery exceeded the lifecycles of its NiMH counterpart for HEV applications.

In addition to higher cycles, the UltraBattery uses a less cost-intensive technology and is easier to recycle than NiMH and Li-ion batteries, East Penn says.