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The DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) has selected 19 new projects that will receive a total of $43 million to develop new energy storage technologies. The projects are supported through two new ARPA-E programs - Advanced Management and Protection of Energy Storage Devices (AMPED) and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - and will focus on innovations in battery management and storage.

“This latest round of ARPA-E projects seek to address the remaining challenges in energy storage technologies, which could revolutionize the way Americans store and use energy in electric vehicles, the grid and beyond, while also potentially improving the access to energy for the US military at forward operating bases in remote areas,” said Secretary of Energy Steven Chu.

The AMPED program aims to develop advanced sensing and control technologies that could significantly improve both grid-scale and vehicle batteries. Unlike other DOE efforts to push the frontiers of battery chemistry, AMPED is focused on maximizing the potential of existing battery chemistries to help reduce costs and improve performance.

Some of the AMPED grant recipients:

• Palo Alto Research Center will develop new fiber optic sensors that are inserted into battery packs to monitor and measure batteries during charge and discharge cycles.
• Ford Motor Company and Arbin Instruments will develop a high-precision battery testing device to improve battery-life forecasting and validation.
• GE Global Research will develop thin-film sensors that enable real-time, two-dimensional mapping of temperature and surface pressure for each cell within a battery pack.
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory is developing a way to more effectively regulate destructive hotspots that develop during use. This improvement in transporting heat away from active materials in the battery is expected to increase the battery’s life and reduce the system cost associated with thermal management.
• Battelle Memorial Institute will develop an optical sensor to monitor the internal environment of a lithium-ion battery in real-time. This internal sensor will detect the magnitude and location of internal battery faults and other hazardous conditions that current battery sensor technologies fail to identify.
• Washington University in St. Louis will develop a predictive battery management system that uses innovative modeling software to optimize battery use. The system will predict optimal charge and discharge of the battery in real-time, enhancing battery performance and improving battery safety, charge-rate, and usable capacity.
• Det Norske Veritas will develop a gas monitoring system to provide early warning signals that a battery is operating in stressful conditions and at risk of premature failure. As batteries degrade, they emit measurable quantities of gas that can be mapped over the battery’s life time.
• Robert Bosch LLC will develop battery monitoring and control software to improve the energy utilization, reliability, and charge rate of EV batteries.
• Eaton Corporation is developing a power control system to optimize the operation of commercial-scale hybrid electric vehicles.

Some of the SBIR projects:

• Pellion Technologies, Inc. will develop a rechargeable battery for EVs that has the potential to travel three times the distance of today’s Li-ion car batteries. The batteries will be fabricated from abundant, low-cost metals that can be domestically sourced.
• Sila Nanotechnologies, Inc. will develop an EV battery that uses low cost nano-composite materials that could cut energy storage cost in half or more.
• Xilectric, Inc. will reinvent Thomas Edison’s battery chemistries for today’s EVs. This battery uses an innovative chemistry based on domestically available aluminum and magnesium and simple construction to increase performance and lower cost.

Image: Department of Energy

The state of Colorado has passed a new law that will allow anybody - not just utilities - to resell electricity. Governor John Hickenlooper backed the law, part of the state’s “electric vehicle readiness” campaign, as a way to spur entrepreneurs to install charging stations at grocery stores, hotels, malls and other commercial locations. So far, the state boasts about 60 mostly free charging stations, including 40 at Walgreens pharmacies.

The US government is cleaning up its energy usage, both to save money and to encourage high-tech manufacturing. The feds have plans to cut government petroleum consumption by 30 percent. Part of that involves the Electric Vehicle Pilot Program (EVPP), a targeted investment to incorporate EVs and charging infrastructure into federal vehicle fleets. The EVPP already has 60 charging stations installed in five cities.

This week, industrial giant Eaton Corporation announced that it will supply various federal agencies with EV charging stations and related services, through a General Services Administration (GSA) contract awarded to Autoflex, Inc. Eaton and veteran-owned AutoFlex will partner with the Department of Veterans Affairs to create VETCARS, a pilot program that will train veterans to install and service EV charging infrastructure and maintain advanced battery technology.

“This is an excellent example of how the public and private sectors can collaborate to enhance the government’s sustainability efforts,” said Eaton’s Jim Dankowski. “The Electric Vehicle Pilot Program will also help stimulate small businesses and provide returning veterans with jobs in communities across the country.”

“Our collaboration with Eaton positions our team to assist the government in achieving their internal sustainability goals while setting a precedent for the general public and creating global awareness for the fleet capability of alternative-fueled vehicles,” said Luis MacDonald, president of AutoFlex.

Source: Eaton
Image: Eaton

Thanks to a cooperative effort by Mitsubishi Motors, Eaton Corporation (NYSE:ETN) and the State of Hawaii, the first of a network of DC fast charging stations will soon be installed at Ko Olina Resort, an upscale hotel, marina and golf course complex near Honolulu.

Eaton’s partner Volta Industries will be installing the CHAdeMO-compliant chargers as part of The Volta Hawaii network, which will include several dozen locations on the island of Oahu, and will be built over the next year. The network will be sponsored by local businesses, and will be free to EV drivers.

Under the “Electric Vehicle (EV) Ready” grant program, the Hawaiian government plans to reduce the use of petroleum products, and achieve 70% clean energy use by 2030.

“Thanks to the cooperation of the State of Hawaii and Eaton Corporation, Hawaiian residents and visiting tourists driving 100% electric-powered vehicles like the 2012 Mitsubishi i will soon have an ever-expanding and easy-to-use electric vehicle charging network that’s also extremely cost-effective when compared to gasoline alternatives,” said Mitsubishi North America CEO Yoichi Yokozawa. “Many of the goals outlined in the memorandum of understanding between our company and the State of Hawaii to help foster electric vehicle acceptance are quickly becoming a reality.”

Image: Eaton

Eaton Corporation and Coulomb Technologies announced an agreement today that will let Eaton’s Level II and DC quick charging Pow-R-Stations connect to Coulomb’s ChargePoint Network of independently owned charging stations.

Eaton Pow-R-Station charging stations, which can fill up an EV’s jukebox in three to four hours, will now be hooked up with all the features of the ChargePoint Network and ChargePoint service plans, including automated billing and payment processing, 24/7 driver support and services that show real-time station availability. Eaton chargers will be included on ChargePoint’s smart phone apps, which offer drivers turn-by-turn directions to the nearest station, and let them make reservations and even start and stop a charging session directly from a smart phone.

“Eaton is a leader in the creation of the public EV charging station network in North America, which will set the stage for widespread regional adoption of EVs and serve as a global model of sustainable transportation,” said Eaton VP Tom Schafer. “This collaboration with ChargePoint Network is a critical step to linking vehicles into the utility grid, offering multiple benefits to EV and charging station owners and consumers, including lower fuel costs, a higher return on investment and reduction of greenhouse gases.”

“This is a significant announcement for Coulomb as we welcome Eaton to the ChargePoint Network family,” said Pat Romano, CEO at Coulomb. “This collaboration highlights the success of our OnRamp program that has allowed us to work with Eaton to rapidly enable the family of Pow-R-Stations to work with ChargePoint Network. We are also particularly pleased to have the first DC stations available on the Network."

Image: Eaton