TransForum Vol. 8, No. 2

R&D 100 Award: EnerDel/Argonne High-Power Battery for Hybrid Electric Vehicles

The EnerDel/Argonne Lithium-Ion Battery

Khalil Amine, a senior scientist and group leader at Argonne National Laboratory, and his team in the advanced battery technology group won an R&D 100 Award for their work on the EnerDel/Argonne Advanced High-Power Battery for Hybrid Electric Vehicles.

The EnerDel/Argonne lithium-ion battery is a highly reliable and extremely safe device that is lighter in weight, more compact, more powerful and longer lasting than the nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) batteries found in today’s hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs).

The battery does not use graphite as the anode material, which has been a cause of safety concern in other Li-ion brands. Argonne has developed a new, innovative, and more stable form of nano-phase lithium titanate (LTO) to replace the graphite. Argonne also developed a new way of making the lithium titanate that will allow easier manufacturing and provide a high packing density that can increase the battery’s energy density and provide the power needed for vehicle acceleration and charging.

The battery is expected to be less expensive than Ni-MH batteries for use in HEVs and lower in cost to make than comparable Li-ion batteries. The cost reduction is expected to make HEVs more competitive in the marketplace and enable consumers to receive an immediate payback in gas-cost savings rather than having to wait seven years for the car to “pay for itself.”

Besides Khalil Amine, the battery's principal developers are materials scientist Illias Belharouak; Zonghai Chen, assistant chemist; Taison Tan, EnerDel's research and development manager; Hiroyuki Yumoto, EnerDel's director of research and development; and Naoki Ota, EnerDel president and chief operating officer.

Argonne scientists have received one hundred R&D 100 Awards since R&D Magazine introduced the award in 1964. Winning this prestigious award, dubbed an “Oscar of Innovation” by The Chicago Tribune, provides proof that the product is one of the most innovative ideas of the year, according to the magazine.

November 2008