Competitor: Sandia in the news (Dec.16)https://www.sandia.gov/news/resources/news_releases/sandia%E2%80%99s-battery-abuse-testing-laboratory-awarded-4-2-million-in-stimulus-funds/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 16, 2009
Sandia’s Battery Abuse Testing Laboratory awarded $4.2 million in stimulus funds
Sandia researcher Pete Roth examines a lithium-ion battery before dismantling it for testing in the chamber behind him. (Photo by Randy Montoya) Click on the image for a high-resolution image.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sandia National Laboratories will use $4.2million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to modify andenhance its existing Battery Abuse Testing Laboratory (BATLab), withthe goal of developing low-cost batteries for electric and plug-inhybrid electric vehicles.
Sandia’s BATLab is internationally recognized as a leader in thefield of battery testing to ensure they meet real-world performancerequirements. The tests help to determine how much abuse lithium ionbatteries can safely handle, including being crushed, pounded withnails and heated to boiling hot temperatures. Sandia tests everythingfrom regular small cells about the size of a laptop computer battery upto full-sized modules and packs weighing several hundred pounds forhybrid vehicles.
The $4.2 million in funding is part of a $104.7 million economicstimulus package to further develop the nation’s efforts in cleanenergy and efficient technologies across seven DOE nationallaboratories. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman made theannouncement during a recent visit to Sandia to be briefed on the Labs’capabilities and programs.
“As we look to the future and the challenges this nation willcontinue to face in terms of national security, in terms of energysecurity, in terms of climate, we can continue to rely on the insights,innovation, technology, dedication and patriotism of the people atSandia and at our other national laboratories,” said Poneman.
The nation’s first full-scale debut of electric cars that can run upto 40 miles on a single charge is expected late next year, and Sandiahas played an instrumental role in ensuring the safety and reliabilityof the batteries that power those vehicles. The DOE-funded FreedomCARprogram turned to Sandia to investigate the possibility of safely usinglithium-ion batteries, which have more power and weigh less than thenickel-metal hydride batteries currently being used in hybrid vehicles.But before lithium-ion batteries could be placed in vehicles, extensivesafety tests needed to take place. With the recent stimulus funds, theBATLab will be able to greatly increase the number of tests it does.
“The equipment and facilities that we currently have allow us to doonly one test at a time, so our throughput has been somewhat limited,”said Pete Roth, lead researcher for Sandia’s FreedomCAR program. “Thenew equipment and upgrades that we will be able to implement willenhance the amount and range of testing and diagnostics that we can do,and we expect to at least be able to double our throughput.” Thoseupgrades include fire suppression, improved lighting and advancedelectrical systems, in addition to new software and analyticalequipment to help diagnose battery responses and provide data formanufacturers.
Such improved efficiency will allow Sandia to continue to offerincreasingly valuable contributions to the nation’s FreedomCAR effort.“Pete and his team are already internationally recognized for thiswork, and this funding will help us to sustain that leadership positioninto the future as auto manufacturers start to implement these lithiumbattery modules and packs into their vehicles,” said Tom Wunsch,manager of Sandia’s Advanced Power Sources R&D group.
The $104.7 million ARRA funding is concentrated on three priorities:advancing carbon fiber manufacturing and processing technologies tohelp reduce the weight of vehicles; developing integrated buildingsystems to reduce U.S. carbon emissions and expanding facilities forfabricating and testing advanced battery prototypes for fuel-efficientvehicles.
“It’s so terribly important that we keep the nation’s work moving inthis direction,” said Poneman. “We as a nation have relied on thenational laboratories since the time of World War II, well over half acentury, to keep this nation strong, to keep us at the cutting-edge ofscience, of innovation in the service of the nation and in the serviceof the American people. The scientists and engineers who’ve beenworking all these years at Sandia are owed a great debt of gratitude bythe American people for the tremendous progress they have made inkeeping our nation safe.”
Sandia National Laboratories is a multiprogram laboratory operatedby Sandia Corporation, an autonomous Lockheed Martin company, for theU.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.With main facilities in Albuquerque, N.M., and Livermore, Calif.,Sandia has major R&D responsibilities in national security, energyand environmental technologies, and economic competitiveness.